


Nights in White Satin

by xxfergiexx



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Blood Drinking, Character Turned Into Vampire, Drama, Fluff, M/M, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-09
Updated: 2013-04-28
Packaged: 2017-12-04 17:46:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/713368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxfergiexx/pseuds/xxfergiexx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A vampire offers a despairing man an alternative to death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Title in reference to the song by The Moody Blues
> 
> Story loosely inspired by "Interview with a Vampire" and TVXQ's Esquire photoshoot - December 2012 Issue
> 
> Thank you to humuhumu88 for the beta!

 

 

 

                                   

The year was 1933.

 

The air was thick with humidity. The creature jogging through the forest smelled something sweet and tangy penetrating through the summer heat.

 

_Mine. MINE. I must have it!_

 

Leaping onto a high tree branch, the creature swiftly jumped from tree-to-tree, hoping to locate the source of that scent faster. And it did…

 

The creature eventually landed on the tree directly above a man writhing in pain on the ground. Cocking his head and licking his lips, the hungry creature considered the human beneath him. The sweetness of the scent came from the vulnerability and despair radiating from this man.

 

The creature hopped down the tree…

 

_Thud!_

 

Boot-clad feet approached the agonized man. Once more, the creature breathes in more of that scent, noting that the tanginess came from a stubborn desperation to hang on to life. When the man spotted the creature, he didn’t try to flee.

 

“A-Are you Death?” The man choked.

 

The creature’s lips curled menacingly. “No. But I can be.”

 

The man breathed in deeply, lifting a bloodied hand away from his stomach. No longer smirking, the creature knelt down and swiped a hand across the man’s injury. “Who did this?”

 

The man stared up at the sky, answering vacantly, “Me.”

 

“And why would you do this to yourself?”

 

Pressing the side of his face into the dirt, the man answered, “I’ve had everything taken away from me. I have nothing to live for anymore.”

 

The creature snorted. “You humans are so self-centered. You make-believe that no one suffers as you do, no one feels pain as you do. So, you feel stabbing yourself and running into the forest will solve all your problems? Do you have any conception of life after death? Let me ask you something, young man, are you afraid?”

 

The man clutched his stomach again, responding harshly to the question. “No! I’m afraid of nothing…except being alone. And I’m alone in the world now…”

Annoyance simmering down, the creature inquired, “Who did you lose?”

 

“My wife and child,” the man’s voice broke and he cried out in pain as more blood seeped through his fingers.

 

The creature’s eyes dilated; his self-control was waning. “You smell delicious.” Baring his teeth, he leaned down until his breath heated the man’s lips. “What is your name?”

 

“Yunho,” the man responded, squeezing his eyes shut then opening them, blinking rapidly. “Are you…an angel?”

 

Smirking again, the creature said cryptically, “Depends on how you view angels. Some would say I am a monster and some would say a savoir. What do you want me to be, Yunho? I can end your life now. Or…”

 

Yunho appeared hopeful for a moment, then wary as the creature’s blunt nails lightly scraped the column of his throat.

 

“Or, I could give you a new life. You want to be invincible? You want to never be alone, for I would remain your companion for all of eternity? Then, choose me over death.”

 

Swallowing thickly, Yunho asked through his haze of pain, “Why should I trust you?”

 

Feigning disinterest, the creature rose up and reasoned, “Well, your only other option is to bleed to death in this desolate place. But if that’s what you want –“

 

Yunho’s hand shot out to grab the creature’s wrist. “No!”

 

With a sinister smile, the creature knelt back down. “If you choose me and the life I could give you, then bare your neck to me. If you choose death, run away, for I or Death will find you.”

 

Breathing raggedly, staring at the dark sky, Yunho demanded, “Tell me your name first.”

 

“I have had many names over the centuries. But you can call me Changmin.”

 

Yunho echoed the name and tilted his head back, baring his neck. “Changmin…”

 

With a husky growl, Changmin dug his nails into the ground on either side of Yunho’s head. Swooping in, sharp teeth drifting over a pulsing vein, Changmin’s nostrils flared as he took in the delicious scent one more time. _MINE._

 

Teeth pierced Yunho’s delicate skin, rich blood flowed into Changmin’s mouth. Howls filled the night as Yunho’s mortal soul died.

 

 


	2. A New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A vampire offers a despairing man an alternative to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to humuhumu88 for the beta!
> 
> Thank you to rocketsprout for the help and inspiration!

__

_Excruciating pain - like_ _pouring warm brandy onto severe wounds_.

 

_Yunho’s body was on fire, throbbing and contorting in ways that weren’t humanly possible._

 

_His heart accelerated alarmingly then began to slow down._

 

_His lung constricted, making it harder and harder to breathe properly._

 

 _Suddenly,_ _there was_ _a bright white light._ _E_ _verything stopped_ _:_ _his breathing, his body movement._

 

_A force tugged on his eyelids, compelling him to open them._

 

 _An opaque veil_ _of red colored his vision. Lying on the forest floor, he realized the pain from his stomach wound was gone_ _._ _I_ _n its place, a hyper-awareness of the forest life around him._ _The soft flutter of an insect’s wing. The scent of the blood from an animal nowhere near him. The tiny rocks and sticks that dug into his cold but sensitive skin._

 

_He saw a figure come into focus. Through the haze of red, he could make out the features of the tall creature who found him._

 

_Sharp, high-cheekbones, a fairly long but handsome nose, and eyes so wide and alluring he felt a pang in his chest. Yunho’s eyes widened when he realized his heart wasn’t beating…_

 

“ _Stand,” the tall creature, Changmin, ordered him. “You must be thirsty.”_

 

 _Yunho stood up with a speed that surprised him. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of Changmin. Yunho was a few inches shorter, mouth directly_ _at the_ _level_ _of_ _the tall creature’s neck._

 

_Changmin whispered, “Bite, my newborn. Bite my neck and suck. Have your first taste and then we’ll find you more suitable prey.”_

 

_The red veil darkened and blurred. Yunho’s nostrils flared and jaw slacked. He reared back a bit then plunged in, sinking his teeth into Changmin’s cold neck and sucked feverishly._

 

 _After a few minutes, Changmin_ _pushed him away_ _and cried out, “Stop! Enough! We savor each other, not drain everything out.” Changmin chuckled breathlessly, eyes glowing sapphires._

 

_Taking Yunho by the hand, Changmin said, “Follow me. I know exactly what you need.”_

 

 _They ran together. Yunho couldn’t believe the energy he had. On such a hot night, he didn’t_ _need to take a break to catch his breath; he didn’t even sweat._ _It was extraordinary. He released Changmin’s hand to try jumping. His hand easily touched every high branch in their path. Changmin hooted joyously behind him._

_They arrived at the nearest city. Changmin took him to a shop and Yunho was fitted in new attire. Yunho allowed himself to be led as Changmin told him to try on this and that. His mind wasn’t in position to be making decisions. Half-crazed, he felt an urge to consume everyone in the shop._

 

_The next stop was a party - a social gathering of aristocrats._

 

 _The red veil_ _had calmed to a dull pink color but Yunho’s throat still felt parched. When they arrived at a mansion at the edge of the city, Yunho’s throat constricted and dried up. His eyes zeroed in on every human being’s neck, veins visible due to tension from drinking and laughing._

 

_His eyes fell on a figure in the corner of the main room. Yunho immediately identified this man to be of Changmin’s kind, for there was an unearthly aura to him too. When this man spotted them, he raised a wine glass to Changmin._

_The man glanced at Yunho, curiously seeking an explanation. But after a silent exchange with Changmin, he disappeared from his spot in a flash. The humans appeared to have noticed nothing out-of-sorts._

 

_Before Yunho could look around for the creature, Changmin had a firm hand on his arm and was he dragging him in a different direction. “That’s Jaejoong, a close friend. You will meet him later. Now, keep your head down and don’t stare directly at anyone.”_

 

_The humans there seemed to know Changmin, even bowed to him. Yunho still couldn’t make sense of what he had become but he went along with it because he needed the taste of blood again. There was no time to dwell on why. He was at the cusp of ripping Changmin’s hand off to quench his hunger with anyone in the vicinity._

 

_Changmin nudged him and pointed at two men a few feet away. Yunho watched hungrily as the men entered one of the rooms down the hall of the mansion. Changmin nudged him again and whispered in his ear, “Go. Eat. I’ll keep watch.”_

 

 _No need to be told twice, Yunho was in that room, locking it, and knocking the two men down with his fists, all in matter of seconds. The rush of supernatural strength and speed was addicting. So was the smell of human blood. Yunho bit into each neck one time_ _to_ _relish_ _the taste._ _Then, dived back in to suck until he felt each man’s heart give out._

 

 _The human blood flowing through his body unveiled_ _the red, cleared his head, and filled his dead heart with warmth._

 

_Yunho stood up, looking around the room then at the men at his feet. The pale men with glassy lifeless eyes, multiple teeth marks on their necks, and jaws open in silent screams._

 

 _Yunho began to tremble uncontrollably._ My wife…and my child. Miyoung…and Subin.What am I? What sort of animal had I become?

 

_He walked backwards fearful, bumping into something solid. He knew who it was before he turned around. He instinctively knew that scent now. Changmin._

 

_Yunho shoved him away and yelled, “WHAT AM I?”_

 

_Changmin took in the sight of the dead men with a pleased grin. “Good work, Yunho. Your thirst will remain under control for a day or two at least.”_

 

_Yunho shoved him again. “TELL ME WHAT I’VE BECOME!”_

 

_Dusting off his suit, Changmin assessed Yunho’s rage with mild amusement. “You are a vampire. This is what you chose over death.”_

 

 

 

~**~

 

 

The year was 1945.

 

Humans aged and died. New humans took their place. Dictators reigned and fell. A second world war ended, and opportunities for reform transpired. In short, the world’s only constant was _change_.

 

That was not the case for the secret, dark realm living amongst humankind. A realm populated with the immortal creatures of the night: _Vampires_.

 

Vampires were unchanging, beautiful, _dangerous_ animals. They watched humans develop the sciences and arts and, over the centuries, had altered their lifestyles to blend in with those changes. But vampires themselves were shells – cold, dead shells walking the Earth as feign imitations of human beings.

 

“ARRRGGHHHHHH!”

 

Yunho had hurled a small table into the full-length mirror by the balcony doors. The glass shattered; the wooden frame of the mirror broke. Yunho felt intense satisfaction watching his reflection destroyed in the process.

 

The balcony doors swung open revealing the scum of the Earth, his creator, Changmin. With a look of empathy thrown at the broken table and mirror, Changmin clicked his tongue. “Another inanimate object lost to your rage. You could at least _warn_ the furniture first.”

 

“Shut up,” Yunho snarled, falling back onto the bed. He felt Changmin crawl up the bed and lie down beside him. Yunho edged away from him, zooming away with lightning speed to the balcony.

 

He heard a shuffle of footstep behind him and Changmin sighing, “We’re in New York City and all you want to do is sulk around the hotel room. There are plenty of jazz clubs around…” He approached Yunho’s back, breathing a little in his ear. “Let’s go out. We can enjoy a bit of music and try an American… _feast_.”

 

“I already ate, thanks,” Yunho said snappishly. He didn’t like it when the other vampire was this close to him. He hated his scent, hated his voice, hated his very presence.

 

Changmin moved to the side, to lean against the concrete rail. “What, more mice?”

 

Yunho stared at the tall vampire. “Yes. There’s plenty of them in the back stairwells. I’m full.”

 

When Changmin lightly touched him under his eyes, Yunho flinched. Undeterred, Changmin deliberately said, “You’re lying. Your eyes are black as night.”

 

Yunho blinked, stepping back. “So what? Go have your meal, leave me alone.”

 

Changmin strongly took Yunho’s arm and pulled him forward. “You are going against your own nature by avoiding human blood. It is affecting your mood. You’ll only find yourself weakening if you continue this way.”

 

Yunho wretched away. “I don’t _care!_ ”

 

Changmin pulled him back. “I care! You _will_ go out with me tonight. Don’t hunt, fine. But go out with me. Every place we end up this happens. You spend days in solitude, tearing up the hotel room until I drag you out. I thought this world tour would give you a chance to experience your new life to its fullest. Why can’t you just enjoy yourself?”

 

 _Because I don’t deserve happiness!_ He wanted to scream. _I don’t deserve it for turning into the very monster that murdered my wife and child!_

 

But all he replied with was a simple, “I hate you.”

 

With a twisted smile, Changmin said, “I know. You remind me every day, in every country we visit. And yet…” Changmin moved closer. “I have yet to know the true reason.”

 

Yunho stood rigidly as the taller vampire leaned in. When the faint brush of lips touched his forehead, he slithered away to fetch his coat.

 

 _As if I really need one!_ Yunho inwardly scoffed. His body was a shell immune to the heat and cold.

 

Picking up a large piece of the broken mirror from the floor, Yunho gazed at his reflection. He heard Changmin’s voice coo, “ _Beautiful_.”

 

But only one word came to Yunho’s mind: _Disgusting_.

 

 

 


	3. The Full Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A vampire offers a despairing man an alternative to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to humuhumu88 for the beta!

 

                                   

Yunho crossed his legs and watched the dark-skinned jazz singer snap his fingers to the up-tempo thrumming of the bass player beside him. Many couples were twirling and swaying together on the small dance floor.

 

Yunho smelt the saltiness of their sweat, a direct contrast to the sweetness of their blood. Licking his lips, Yunho could almost taste the sweet and sour intoxication on his tongue.

 

Changmin’s husky voice broke through his haze of hunger. “Enjoying yourself?”

 

Instead of responding, he simply observed the other vampire. The glow from the stage lights made Changmin’s skin appear more translucent than usual. Yunho’s eyes fell to Changmin’s wide lips, noting for the millionth time their pinkish hue. Yunho refused to admit he found them attractive.

 

His gaze lifted to Changmin’s big sapphire orbs. Eyes like that of a doe. Yunho felt the familiar pang in his chest. The feeling was too abstract, too confusing to decipher; it didn’t fit in with the all-consuming hatred he felt for the obnoxious vampire. Yunho shook himself of the feeling, opting to focus on the music instead.

 

“It’s rude to ignore a direct question,” Changmin teased disapprovingly. “Especially when it’s a polite one.”

 

“I don’t care,” Yunho resorted mindlessly, eyes on a couple kissing nearby.

 

“ _I care_.”

 

Yunho rolled his eyes. “Always the same old argument.”

 

Changmin cooed, “Always the same old response.”

 

The most disturbing thing almost happened. Yunho mouth muscles twitched. _The bastard isn’t amusing…don’t laugh!_

 

“Ho! Ho!” Changmin shielded his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. “Do my eyes deceive me or is that the beginning of a _smile_?”

 

Yunho glanced at Changmin with a bored air. “You wish.”

 

“I do wish,” Changmin murmured. “Tell me something, Jung Yunho: Have you ever smiled?”

 

Yunho pursed his lips, debating whether to respond or not. The ardent glimmer in the other vampire’s eyes told him he was serious, though. “When I was a human,” Yunho began gravely. “I used to smile all the time.”

 

“And now you have nothing to smile about?” Changmin prompted carefully.

 

Eyebrows coming together, Yunho considered the question. He couldn’t think of one thing to smile over. “No. Nothing.”

 

An awkward silence grew between them as they stared at each other. Yunho wanted to run away, back to the hotel. As he stood up, Changmin rose with him. “Come with me.”

 

Yunho thought about just ignoring the order but Changmin said it with a hint of desperation.

 

When Yunho nodded, Changmin grinned and led them away from their small table.

 

On the way, they passed several drunkards. Purposely paying attention to the style of the club, Yunho noticed it wasn’t built for high-society people. The floor was dingy and the concrete walls were chipped with old paint.

 

At the back of the jazz club was a large red door. Changmin opened it for him with a low bow and said, “After you, kitten.”

 

If Yunho had a heart rate, he was sure it would be accelerating at the endearment. Yunho hated it. “Don’t call me that,” he stressed as he walked by Changmin.

 

“Alright, kitten,” Changmin grinned.

 

Stifling down his frustration, Yunho looked around, unimpressed with Changmin’s choice of location. They were standing in a dark ally. Nothing but the stench of garbage greeted them. A pile of bricks lie near the door. Changmin picked one up and wedged it between the door and the wall so some the light and music could still filter through.

 

“Why are we here?” Yunho asked.

 

In response, Changmin crooked a finger at him. After a hesitant pause, Yunho step forward until he was a foot away from the other vampire’s lean frame. With both palms up, Changmin requested softly, “Dance with me?”

 

Horrified by the suggestion, Yunho swatted Changmin’s hands away. A vague memory of him saying the same thing to his wife swarmed his mind. _No…No!_

 

Changmin lowered his eyes, fingers curling into his palm. “I don’t understand you. All I’m asking for is a dance. _Please_.”

 

Silently staring at Changmin’s bowed head, Yunho decided to relent but only a tad. “I lead.”

 

Quickly, Changmin raised his head with a charming smile and opened his palms again. Laying a hand in one of the palms, Yunho slipped an arm around Changmin’s waist. He was irritably uncomfortable with the situation; desperately wanting to run back into the club. Yet, Yunho swayed them back and forth, indulging the other vampire’s romantic whims.

 

_This is just a reward for him being only 60 percent obnoxious today_ , Yunho told himself as he felt the hand on his shoulder travel to the back of his head.

 

He looked up. Changmin had his head turned to the side, baring his neck to Yunho. “Take a bite. I know you’re still hungry.”

 

Yunho scoffed, “What? Aren’t you going to encourage me to go feast on the people inside?”

 

Changmin relaxed his neck, glancing down at Yunho. “No. I do not hurt these types of people, and neither will you.”

 

Raising his eyebrows, Yunho said mockingly, “Oh? Where is this respect for human life coming from? A bit out-of-character for a vampire who usually calls humans _insipid_ , _self-centered_ _whiners_.”

 

Changmin turned his head away again. “I don’t expect you to understand. I enjoy the presence of these types of humans. So leave it be. Now, _eat_.”

 

Tilting his head up, Yunho’s lips made contact with Changmin’s long smooth neck. He couldn’t resist a moment longer; he sunk in and drank. The hand on the back of his head tugged on his hair but kept him steady – it was oddly comforting.

 

He swallowed several big gulps and stopped, pulling back, licking the blood off his lips.

 

“Your eyes…” Changmin said, gaze fixated on him.

 

Yunho blinked. “What about them?”

 

“They’re back to their original color,” Changmin slid a hand down to the small of Yunho’s back. “Did you know my favorite color is purple? I love seeing your eyes this way; they’re not like this often. Astonishing, really. I’ve never seen a vampire with amethyst eyes before.”

 

_Amethyst? My eyes are amethyst?_ Yunho was startled and slightly frightened that he didn’t know his own eye color. As a human, his eyes were brown. After becoming this _thing_ he was now, he could only recall black eyes when he looked in the mirror.

 

“My eyes aren’t amethyst,” Yunho said, shaking his head.

 

Changmin reeled him in closer. “Yes, they are. As many times as you look in the mirror, you never truly pay attention. They’re beautiful; _you’re_ beautiful.”

 

“I’m ugly,” Yunho objected quickly.

 

“The more you protest it the more beautiful you become,” Changmin said with an amused quirk of the lips. “No worries, though. We have an eternity together. I will help you see it one day.”

 

Unable to withstand the other vampire’s presence a moment longer, Yunho stepped back and walked down the dark ally. He could hear Changmin’s brisk footsteps trailing behind him.

 

~**~

 

The year was 1947.

 

Dry, cool air blew over the Egyptian desert in Cairo. Yunho sat on a sand dune, gazing at the pyramids. As a human, he would never have had the opportunity to visit this amazing place, or any of the other places Changmin had taken him.

 

The pyramids were a wonder. Their strength and perfect proportion left Yunho humbled in their presence. If he was still human, he would be in his 30’s…assuming he would have lived that long.

 

An oppressive wave of sadness hit him at the thought of living alone and trying to make due after losing his Miyoung and Subin.

 

No, it wouldn’t have come to that. Yunho would have died for sure that night, if Changmin hadn’t found him. A voice in his head reminded him that he _was_ dead.

 

Grimacing, Yunho felt the familiar wave of disgust. Oh, yes. He was a walking, hollow shell of evil.

 

Changmin abruptly appeared in front of him, resting his head on Yunho’s knee. “Race me.”

 

“What?” Yunho wondered what’s in the mad vampire’s mind now.

 

“Race me to the top of the pyramid!” Changmin flapped enthusiastically. It’s hard to believe this childishness was coming from the same creature who devoured two men right before Yunho’s eyes a few hours ago.

 

Yunho refused, “I don’t think so. Go race yourself.”

 

Changmin stood up immediately and folded his arms together. “Fine. I get it. You’re afraid to lose. I don’t blame you…I am much older and more experienced. You’re still a baby vampire who doesn’t spread his wings.”

 

_Bastard._

 

Yunho was up and running before Changmin could hoot in victory. He made it to the center pyramid in seconds and started climbing up the high slope at a powerful speed. Changmin was on his tail, laughing gleefully.

 

When he reached the top, Yunho couldn’t hear Changmin anymore but he could smell him nearby. “Where the hell did you go?”

 

Anticipation with a drop of excitement trickled in his blood. He clutched the tip of the pyramid, waiting in absolute silence.

 

“RAWR!” Changmin leaped from the one side of the pyramid, landing on top of Yunho, pressing him further into the brick.

 

“Oof! Get off, you annoying prick!” Yunho complained, trying to throw the vampire off his back.

 

But Changmin clung on, arms wrapped around Yunho’s neck. A bite pinched his earlobe. Yunho jerked. “Stop!”

 

Relenting, Changmin disengaged his arms and legs, but put his hands on top of Yunho’s, his taller body surrounding the other. “Look, kitten. Look at the moon.”

 

Ignoring the ridiculous nickname, Yunho elevated his gaze. The moon was full and luminous tonight, shining down on the desert, making the sand appear like a silver ocean. “Wow.”

 

A smile in his voice, Changmin said, “Yes, _wow_. The moon. Earth’s mistress. The perfect sphere that lights the night. Nothing has ever captivated me more.”

 

Yunho glanced back. “I’ve never found the moon all that interesting. I love the…”

 

“You love the what?” Changmin nipped at his earlobe again.

 

Yunho elbowed him. “I love the sun.”

 

Changmin hissed. “You know you’d burn to a crisp if its beam touches you?”

 

“I know that,” Yunho mumbled. “But staying out in the sun, feeling its heat, that’s what used to captivate _me_. It kept me feeling alive.” He added despondently, “Now I’ll never see it again. Never see the dewiness of the sunrise…or the array of orange during a sunset.”

 

His melancholy confession appeared to have killed the conversation. Changmin remained quiet as they climbed down the pyramid. Yunho sat at the base, lost in past thoughts.

 

Changmin knelt down to his eye-level and uttered gently, “My newborn kitten, the sun is hostile; powerful and destructive. Even for humans, it burns and it blinds. This desert becomes unpleasant when the sun rises. But the moon…”

 

Yunho’s hand was taken gently and placed on Changmin’s chest. “The moon is calm, cooling. It has it’s own power, of course, but it gives you just what you need and doesn’t hurt you.”

 

Changmin’s cool hand squeezed his, simultaneously creating a heated spark in Yunho’s body.

 

“It’s true the sun is essential to the cycle of life,” the older vampire continued. “But remember, we are not part of that cycle. The moon, much like us, waits for the sun to set. And even though, it might get eclipsed by it at times, it won’t abandon you. It will be there in your darkest hour…as I shall be.”

 

Yunho dung fingers into Changmin’s chest and found it impossible to look away from those sapphire eyes. He finally breathed; a habit he thought had died years ago.

 

 


	4. The Animal Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A vampire offers a despairing man an alternative to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story loosely inspired by "Interview with a Vampire" 
> 
> Thank you to humuhumu88 for the beta!

 

                                   

The year was 1950.

 

The harsh winter of Moscow was brutal on the mortals. Yunho watched men, women, and children bundled-up in layer upon layer of clothing, grimacing against the icy wind. He was walking back to the hotel wearing a casual coat, head down and hands stuffed stiffly in his pockets.

 

A woman suddenly threw herself at Yunho. Officially, a year spent in Russia, he had picked up the basics of the Russian language. It seemed the woman was begging him for a place to stay. She was offering herself to him. Yunho stared at her. The woman had long black hair with short bangs lining the top of her eyes.

 

 _Miyoung_ , his mind whispered hauntingly. The scent of sweet blood perforated the cold air, making Yunho’s inner beast growl in hunger. The woman’s eyes pleaded, sparkling in the night.

 

_No…No! I can’t!_

 

And so he ran away. Faster and faster. Widening the distance between him and the innocent woman. Only once he arrived at the hotel, flying up the stairway and into the hotel room, did Yunho finally calmed down.

 

Changmin was there, appearing windswept as he came in through the balcony. He appraised Yunho’s condition and started laughing. “I saw the whole thing. A bit pathetic, I must say.”

 

Yunho’s eyes burned at the insult. “Pathetic? Weren’t you the one who practically ordered me not to eat from the lower class?”

 

“Yes, but that’s not what I found pathetic,” Changmin replied. “What’s pathetic is a creature denying his true nature. So what if you had drank from that woman? You probably would have saved her from freezing to death. She was begging for it.”

 

“She was begging for shelter! Not to be eaten by a monster!” Yunho threw a chair straight at Changmin, who smashed it with a fist, chuckling quietly.

 

“A monster? I wonder…would you call a tiger a monster for hunting its prey?” Changmin asked inquisitively.

 

Yunho interjected, “A tiger doesn’t know any better...we do!”

 

Arching a brow, Changmin inquired, “Is that so? You think a tiger doesn’t feel the thrill of the hunt, of tearing his prey to shreds? It’s about survival, kitten. Animals know what they’re doing, but they do it anyway because of the basic instinct to survive. How are _we_ any different from them?”

 

Changmin sunk down onto a plush leather chair with an air of superiority. “Tell me this, Yunho, what would you call a dictator who leads a genocide of an entire race? He’s not hunting for food, he’s doing it for selfish purposes. Is that not the true monstrous nature of the world?”

 

“That’s…” Yunho started to argue then paused, realizing he didn’t have a good comeback. The dratted vampire had a point. Yunho set his jaw stubbornly. Hell if he would admit _that_ out loud.

 

Suddenly drained, Yunho purposely changed the subject, “I’m tired. I wish I can sleep…I miss sleeping. I miss that languid feeling when you first lie in bed at night. Then, the warm, groggy feeling when you first wake up and decide to snooze for a few more minutes.” He folded his arms tightly around himself.

 

Changmin looked ready to argue some more but closed his mouth, staring at Yunho in a way that made him uncomfortable. Yunho wanted to ignore the other vampire, but sometimes Changmin’s presence was too overwhelming to dismiss.

 

The husky voice punctured the awkward silence, “Come here, Yunho.” Changmin swept a hand at his lap. Yunho snorted and looked away.

 

Changmin tried again. “Please, kitten.” An unguarded vulnerability flickered across the older vampire’s features. A very small part of Yunho melted.

 

Insides quivering, Yunho approached Changmin, but instead of sitting on his lap, he knelt and sat on the floor at Changmin’s feet, leaning back against the chair.

 

Long fingers threaded into his hair, methodically massaging his scalp. The pressure was a little too severe and lacking in finesse. But the gentle words from two years ago came rushing back:

 

_“It will be there in your darkest hour…as I shall be.”_

 

Allowing that promise to comfort him, Yunho decided to drop his defense long enough to tilt his head back and lay it on Changmin’s thigh. Yunho closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind.

 

Changmin’s voice whispered to him, “Rest, kitten. You are your own worst enemy.”

 

 _Enemy._ Tears flooding behind Yunho’s eyelids. He squinted his eyes then opened them. Red droplets leaked out, dripping onto Changmin’s pants. “I almost killed that woman,” Yunho choked. “What’s worse, I wanted to. I could have ruined someone’s life by ending that woman’s. What if she had a loved one somewhere?”

 

Changmin spat impatiently, “You did nothing wrong. Even if you had taken her, it is your nature! Had you wanted to clear your conscience, you could have given her a choice. She would have chosen you. I smelt her desperation from where I stood watching you.”

 

“Like how I was desperate enough to choose you,” Yunho blurted out bitterly.

 

The thigh muscles underneath his cheek went rigid. He lifted his head, going back to rest against the chair. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that…but that old resentment clogged Yunho’s throat again. More spiteful words spilled out of him. “Like how I chose you thinking you’re my savior, but you tricked me instead.”

 

Changmin sprung up, growling, striding to the nearest wall and punching a fist straight through it. The older vampire cried out, “I gave you a choice, damn it! I gave you one!”

 

Yunho remained on the floor, more red tears spilling down his cheeks as he stared off into space. “You could have left me to die, why didn’t you! Instead you made me this thing. The thing I despised the moment I figured out…” He snapped his mouth shut and looked up at Changmin.

 

Changmin’s eyes were ablaze. “The moment you figured out what?”

 

“Nevermind.”

 

Two rough hands shook him. “Tell me!”

 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Yunho said defiantly, trying to wipe away his tears but Changmin blocked him and cupped Yunho’s smaller face, wiping the red moisture with his thumbs.

 

Changmin licked his thumbs clean and repeated the process while saying, “Fine. We won’t talk about it… _for now_. You’ll become dehydrated after losing this much liquid and you barely eat enough as it is.”

 

After Yunho’s face was clean, Changmin dragged him up by the hand and led him to the bed. He pulled Yunho up the mattress with him. “Come lie down. You’ve exhausted yourself.”

 

Yunho didn’t have the mental energy left to protest anymore. With Changmin’s large hand guiding him, he rested his head on the other vampire’s chest. He heard no heartbeat, of course, but there was a steady vibration running through Changmin’s body…perhaps it’s remnants of his deceased soul…or his anger from earlier. Strangely enough, Yunho didn’t feel anything in his own body. If he wasn’t so tired, this would peak his curiosity.

 

Changmin began singing to him. Yunho didn’t know the song but he listened and let it lull him into a limbo dream state.

 

Sometime later, Changmin slid out from under him to close all window blinds since the sun was beginning to rise. Going back to lie on the bed, Changmin leaned over Yunho, presenting him with his neck. “Eat.”

 

Yunho bit and drank. Pulling back, he asked, “Why do you always feed me this way? Why not force me to hunt?”

 

Changmin caressed Yunho’s cheek and replied, “Because I like feeding you from my body. Maybe…maybe one day, you’ll trust me enough to let me feed from your body too - not just from the neck. There are other ways we can enjoy each other.”

 

Confusion clouded his thoughts. _Changmin_ _trusts me? Can I…do I trust him?_

 

Yunho never gave their relationship much thought, other than dwelling on his own regret and bitterness. But along the way, he subconsciously knew Changmin wouldn’t leave him, no matter how stubborn or unreasonable he was being.

 

Was that trust?

 

Closing his eyes again, Yunho settled snuggly into the pillow, allowing Changmin to continue caressing him.

 

They didn’t spend much more time in Russia. Immediately after their rest on the bed, Yunho suggested they go back home.

 

Changmin grimly wondered aloud, “Did you even enjoy our travels?”

 

Yunho forced a tense smile on his face. “I – I did.”

 

Changmin smiled disdainfully, “Please don’t hurt yourself trying to pretend. I tried to…nevermind. It doesn’t matter. Yes, it is time for us to go home.”

 

 

~**~

 

 

Home was a modest house on the outskirts of Seoul. Changmin had it built for them after Yunho’s rebirth. Living on the countryside reminded Yunho of his former life. It pained him constantly but he refused admit that to Changmin. He didn’t tell Changmin much of anything, preferring to suffer in silence, for the older vampire will never understand his trauma.

 

Vaguely, it occurred to Yunho that he knew next to nothing about Changmin’s past, assuming the other vampire spawned from a holy nest of dark angels or something of the like.

 

Not that he cared to know either way. Learning Changmin’s story would only serve to make him hate what he had become.

 

Nevertheless, Yunho was growing curious… particularly since Changmin had been avoiding him lately.

 

On the sixth day after coming home, Yunho worked up the nerve to ask Changmin about his past. Changmin was sitting at the dining room table, reading a book.

 

Stormy black eyes greeted him sharply at the question. “Eighteen years, you never once asked about me, who I was, how I became this way, and now you’re curious? Why?”

 

Yunho was speechless. He hadn’t realized his indifference had irritated Changmin. “I just thought…I wanted to know –“

 

Changmin raised his palm to interrupt. “No need to give excuses. However, I will not reveal my past until you trust me enough to share yours.” Changmin stood up stiffly. “I’ll be here when you’re ready to talk. Now, let’s go hunt…I’m hungry.”

 

 

~**~

 

 

The hunt was at a lavish banquet dinner for a large group of wealthy politicians Yunho didn’t care to know the name of. Changmin always chose to feast on the richest of society, which Yunho found odd considering high-profile crimes caused more public uproar. The gossip around town was the city was cursed; a beast had been unleashed to make the wealthy and corrupt pay for their sins.

 

Yunho chortled humorlessly when he had heard the speculation from a few of the lower class citizens. Let them think that. God knows what sort of backlash would occur if humans became aware of the existence of vampires.

 

Yunho always tagged along on these hunts but never participated. He had fed from several field mice along the way, ignoring Changmin’s judgmental looks. Changmin’s friend, Jaejoong, often joined them on these outings. Yunho felt an odd sort of kinship with Jaejoong. Being with this vampire felt like a break away from his resentment and self-loathing.

 

“Look at him,” Jaejoong muttered to Yunho. And they both watched as Changmin meandered through the gathering, assessing each person like a hawk. “It’s always fascinating to watch him hunt for his perfect prey.”

 

“Why does he do this, hyung?” Yunho had silently pondered Changmin’s pickiness with food many times. “He scoffs at humans all the time. You’d think when it comes to food, anyone would do.”

 

Jaejoong hid a grin behind his hand. “Oh no, Changmin is very particular. About everything, actually.” Jaejoong sent him a meaningful, furtive glance and added, “Even who he chooses as his life companion.”

 

Changmin was now leading a stocky, silver-haired gentleman out of the banquet hall. Yunho frowned, asking in a low tone, “What’d you mean, hyung? That he chose _me_ to be his life companion? I thought I was…”

 

“You thought you were what? A sidekick? A pet? Someone Changmin just puts up with and lets tag alone for no reason?” Licking his index fingers, Jaejoong slicked down any wayward strands of hair. “Keep in mind, Yunho, that Changmin doesn’t do anything without a purpose. Now if you’ll excuse me, my dinner awaits.”

 

Eyes on a handsome youth across the hall, Jaejoong squeezed Yunho’s arm and walked off. Rolling his eyes, Yunho ambled lazily out of the banquet hall and down the steps that led to the garden. He leaned heavily against a tree, wondering what was taking Changmin so long…

 

Then, it happened…a beautiful young man, in his late teens or early twenties, approached Yunho with a tray of drinks. “Champagne, sir?”

 

It was a gentle voice. Not as husky as Changmin’s or soft as Jaejoong’s, but boyish. Tentative brown eyes captivated Yunho.

 

He had to look away. Subin’s eyes had had the same almond slant, same shade of brown. She would be in her twenties had she lived.

 

Yunho was overcome with an unnerving desire to embrace this boy and never let go.

 

He found himself unconsciously leaning in, his mouth nearing the boy’s neck. The young man didn’t jerk away or yell for help, he stood still, mutely observing Yunho with interest.

 

Yunho’s jaw slacked. _Sweet blood…one bite…just one bite!_

 

The tray in the boy’s hands toppled onto the ground, the champagne glasses spilling. As Yunho’s lips met the boy’s warm neck, the memory of his daughter’s dead body reared its head unforgivingly. Her small limbs sprawled on the ground, wide deep punctures blemishing her small, fragile neck.

 

Panic seized him; grief stabbed him, casting him back against the tree. Incoherent apologies spilled from his lips.

 

The young man appeared dazed, stuttering, “S-Sir, are you okay?”

 

Shaking his head, Yunho stumbled sideways. He couldn’t be around this boy a moment longer!

 

One of the politicians came running outside, and with no warning at all, smacked the young man hard across the head then on the face. “Taemin, you worthless boy! You shouldn’t even be out here! Clean up this mess and get back into the hall!”

 

The older man bowed to Yunho, apologizing for the boy’s incompetence. Fury blurred Yunho’s vision, coating it with red.

 

Emitting a low roar, Yunho wrapped his fingers around the old bastard’s neck, lifting him easily off the ground. He slammed the man against the tree, noting with morbid satisfaction the fear in the cretin’s eyes as his feet kicked…and Yunho squeezed the neck harder.

 

He glanced at the servant boy, Taemin, and barked, “Leave!”

 

With no other preamble, Yunho plunged in, brutally penetrating the bastard’s neck, drinking until the heartbeat stopped.

 

After resurfacing, Yunho released the neck and let the body crumble to the ground. Wiping his mouth, he glared sideway. The boy hadn’t heeded Yunho’s order.

 

Taemin was gasping, clutching the empty tray to his chest. “W-What are you?”

 

Swiftly, Yunho gripped Taemin by the neck. He should kill him. A witness was too risky. But that inexplicable feeling to hold Taemin overtook him again. Having just fed, Yunho felt it was safe to give in to that feeling…if only for a minute.

 

He wrapped his arms around Taemin’s shoulders and pulled him into a firm embrace, careful not to crush the boy. Hesitantly, thin arms came up to hold him back. Yunho let the warmth of human flesh cradle him. Swept up in the moment, Yunho shut his eyes and fantasied he was holding his daughter…

 

A deep chuckle awoke him from his fantasy. Across the garden, Changmin was shrewdly eyeing Yunho and the servant boy.

 

Abruptly releasing Taemin, Yunho backed away, gaze sliding over the boy’s innocent eyes before running away.

 

“You can’t deny who you are forever, Yunho!” He heard Changmin’s amused shout behind him and ran faster. Red streaks spilt down his cheeks as panic and grief gripped him once more.

 

 


	5. Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A vampire offers a despairing man an alternative to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the amazing humuhumu88 for the beta!

 

                                

Yunho ran until he reached the creek by their house. He threw himself into the water, ducking underneath in desperation. Opening his eyes, he saw nothing but murkiness. His skin illuminated a dull white, attracting many small fish to swim around him.

 

There was no need to breathe. No need to worry about his lungs exploding from lack of oxygen. Yunho let himself float to the surface, face still planted in the water. A child’s muffled laughter haunted his mind. _Subin._

 

He blinked his eyes, capturing a fish reverently. Its fins fluttered against his palms. _Soft. Alive. Pure. Miyoung’s kiss._

 

Yunho aggressively broke the surface, swishing waves of water around him. The pain, the absolute hopelessness and unhappiness never ceased in his frozen heart. Coming face to face with that boy, Taemin, proved the years of travel with Changmin had done nothing to ease the grief inside him.

 

To make him forget…

 

He began sinking down into the water again.

 

“Yunho!”

 

He ignored the call and sunk down, attempting to swim away. A hand gripped his head and pulled him up by his hair. It was an amused Jaejoong. “What the hell are you doing, Yun-dol?”

 

Yunho let Jaejoong drag him out of the water and onto the grass. Jaejoong propped himself up on an elbow, gazing down at Yunho with expectant green eyes. “So, are you going to tell me what’s wrong? I spotted you leaving the banquet like the sunlight was on your tail.”

 

Looking up at the starry sky, Yunho responded mechanically, “I did something bad. Memories started to haunt me.”

 

Jaejoong asked, “What sort of memories?”

 

“Painful ones.”

 

“Can you tell me about them, Yun-dol?”

 

“No.”

 

Jaejoong raised his eyebrows and pressed closer to Yunho’s side. “Why? You can tell me anything. I promise not to tell Changmin if you don’t want me to.”

 

“Changmin is your friend too,” Yunho tested the older vampire.

 

Laying a hand on Yunho’s chest, Jaejoong said openly, “You’re my friend as well. I cherish your company. I promise it’ll stay between us.”

 

Yunho regarded Jaejoong’s guileless, curious countenance and decided to trust. Eyes reverting back to the sky, Yunho began telling his story. “I was a simple human, living away from the city and caring for my family’s ranch. My mother had passed away when I was a child. It was just me and my father for most of my adolescent and adult life. But there was a lovely girl at a neighboring ranch that I was friends with since I was 10 years old.”

 

Jaejoong smiled then. “Let me guess – you fell in love with that girl.”

 

Nodding, Yunho said her name softly, “Miyoung. She became my life, especially after my father passed away due to an illness when I was 20 years old. I asked Miyoung to marry me, and we lived at the ranch for years as husband and wife. It was a simple life. Sometimes...”

 

“Sometimes, what?” Jaejoong encouraged with a pat on Yunho’s chest.

 

“Sometimes,” Yunho confessed, “I dreamt of a more exciting life…a life outside the country. But then Subin was born and my life became hers too. My sweet daughter…oh, how I cherished her. Cherished every smile, every embrace in her thin, delicate arms. Suddenly, dreams of any other life left my mind. Miyoung and Subin were my number one priority. Then…”

 

Jaejoong’s hand flinted up to rub Yunho’s shoulder comfortingly. Yunho shunted away, rejecting the comfort. He jogged to the nearest tree and climbed up to a thick branch.

 

“Yunho! Tell me the rest!” Jaejoong called up from below.

 

Yunho squeezed his eyes shut and shouted back in agony, “Then they were killed! By the very monster I am today!”

 

Minutes flew by without a response. He rested the side of his face against the rough bark of the tree, wondering if Jaejoong had left him alone.

 

A twig snapped…

 

Leaves rustled…

 

And Yunho was staring into the upturned face of Changmin.

 

 _Damn it._ _How’d he find me and what does he want?_

 

Changmin was hanging upside down on an upper branch, giving Yunho a fierce look. “Kitten…”

 

 _Did he hear my confession?_ Yunho glared. “Go away. I want to be left in peace.”

 

Swinging off the upper branch and flipping over to straddle the branch Yunho was sitting on, Changmin said quietly, “I do not exist to hurt you, Yunho. I care for you. Don’t you think it’s finally time for us to talk?”

 

_He cares for me? Can a vampire truly care for anything?_

 

Yunho panicked at the thought of revealing the most vulnerable part of himself to Changmin. He must hang on to any thread of control he had. “I don’t have anything to say to you. You witnessed my humiliating downfall moments ago. What’re you looking for: a rebuttal or my surrender? Well, you’re going to get neither from me.”

 

With a swing of his arm, Changmin violently snapped the branch above them in half. “I want nothing but _you!_ ”

 

“You can’t have me!” Yunho jumped down from the tree swiftly. Changmin caught him before he could run away, walking him backwards until he’s pressed against the tree trunk.

 

Changmin’s lips were inches from his as the other said throatily, “You may keep denying who you are. You may keep your secrets. But I must ask you to quit rejecting me.”

 

Yunho clutched at Changmin’s dress coat. “And I must ask you to stop being a know-it-all and pressuring me.”

 

Desperation swarmed Changmin’s eyes. “I think I’ve been very patient these past 18 years, kitten. But I…I will try to give you space…”

 

The quiet desperation quickly faded to something more calculating and penetrating. Changmin’s lips curled, brushing Yunho’s cheek. “After all…a kitten comes seeking attention when left alone too long. I will be here to _satisfy_ kitty with whatever he wants.”

 

An unexpected fire licked at Yunho’s body…and a mystifying vibration coursed within him. Yunho interpreted it as anger and shoved Changmin away. “You’re doing it again, you smug know-it-all! I am not a kitten and will never come seeking your attention! I have my pride, and you should have yours!”

 

Changmin stared back at him almost pitifully. “It’s not about pride, my Yunho. Pride is worthless in the face of love.”

 

Yunho tore at the tree bark behind him. “You know nothing of love!” The vibrations inside him intensified.

 

A chuckle interrupted them. Jaejoong was standing off to the side, taking in the scene with exasperated amusement. “So passionate and stubborn. I can see why you enthrall this cold one so much, Yun-dol.” He pointed at Changmin mockingly.

 

Changmin pinched the bridge of his nose. “Time for you to go away, right, Jae?”

 

Jaejoong swept a hand through his hair. “Fine. I’ll leave. The air is thick with too much tension anyway.” He purposely walked by Yunho and whispered in his ear, “Your wife and daughter…they were bitten by one of our kind?”

 

Yunho gave the barest of nods. Jaejoong stared into his eyes, lost in thought. Putting aside his grief, Yunho peered into Jaejoong’s eyes questioningly. “Are you okay, hyung?”

 

Snapping out his trance, Jaejoong smiled tightly and bid him farewell. Yunho looked after him until he was out of sight then made his way up the creek that led to the house. Changmin trailed behind him at a good distance.

 

 

~**~

  

 

The instant Yunho stepped foot inside the house, he knew something was wrong. There was another presence. A vaguely familiar one.

 

He climbed the stairs. The smell of blood was growing stronger. He threw open the door to his bedroom, gaping at what he saw. The servant boy!

 

Taemin was seated at the window sill, as if waiting for him to arrive. Yunho spun around to flee when he ran smack into Changmin’s chest. Strong arms spun him back to Taemin as Changmin murmured, “Don’t run. Look what I’ve brought you.”

 

Yunho ordered in a strangled voice, “Take him back! Get him away from me!”

 

Slipping his arms securely around Yunho, Changmin praised, “You did the right thing to feed on that old pompous man, and in turn, protect this boy from further beatings. Yet, you simultaneously created a slight dilemma…for us and him.”

 

“What kind of dilemma?” Yunho couldn’t take his eyes off Taemin, who was gawking at them hopefully.

 

Changmin explained, toying with Yunho’s throat, “You see, by allowing this boy to witness your kill, he knows our secret. The consequence is death. And by leaving him alive, with the dead body of powerful politician lying at his feet, you have sentenced him to death regardless.”

 

Yunho covered his eyes, ridden with guilt once again. “What have I done? How can I fix this? I can’t kill this boy.”

 

Changmin gently turned Yunho in his arms and embraced him. “I know you can’t, kitten. If I hadn’t seen the contentment on your face when you held him, I would have disposed of him myself. But I’ve brought him to you so you can be happier. He is what you need to heal. _Turn him._ ”

 

Pulling back as if he’d been burned, Yunho yelled, “I will not sentence Taemin to a fate worse than death!”

 

Taemin spoke in a small voice, “But I want you to.”

 

Yunho reeled towards Taemin and shook him by the shoulder. “What’s wrong with you, boy? You saw what I’m capable of. Run and don’t look back!”

 

“Please, don’t send me back,” Taemin begged. “I have no life to go back to except being the scum under everyone’s shoe.” Taemin reached up to place his smaller hands over Yunho’s. Their warmth made Yunho tremble. So much life…so much innocence. He will not be responsible for destroying it!

 

Yunho backed away, shaking his head in distress. “I cannot…please, don’t ask this of me! You don’t know what you’re doing!”

 

Taemin straightened up. “I am not a little boy. I know you are some kind of immortal creature. I want to be like you, have your strength, your beauty, your power.” Taemin’s eyes glittered. “I watched you at the banquet, standing alone. You drew me in without trying, Y-Yunho. I felt a connection to you, a need to help you. You looked so sad.”

 

Yunho’s back met Changmin’s chest again but Yunho didn’t push away this time. He leaned back and gasped, “I can’t send him away and I can’t turn him. You do it. I can’t watch…”

 

Changmin kissed the side of Yunho’s neck. “And have you resent me more? I refuse. You have to be the one to do it, kitten.”

 

“I don’t want to take his life,” Yunho agonized, memories of Subin haunted him again as he gazed at Taemin’s eyes.

 

“You’re not,” Changmin reassured. “You’re simply giving him a different life. A better one. One that will make him hunger for blood, yes, but one where he will be treated better.”

 

Yunho knew Changmin was right. It was suicide to even think of sending Taemin back to the wolves. Yet it was agonizing to bear the thought of taking away the boy’s precious human life. Nonetheless, at least with the latter, he’d have Taemin by his side. Maybe Changmin was right…maybe he did need the boy.

 

Unsteadily reaching for Changmin’s hand, seeking guidance, he asked, “How do I do it?”

 

Changmin walked him towards Taemin, instructing, “Suck until the heart slows down. That will inject enough of your venom without killing him instantly. The venom will do all the work. Pain will follow for little Taemin, but when he comes to, he’ll be transformed.”

 

Taemin’s eyes narrowed begrudgingly at the ‘little’ remark. Yunho was still gripping Changmin’s hand. “Where will you be as I do this?”

 

“Right outside the door,” Changmin responded.

 

Yunho squeezed his hand. “Don’t go far, I might need you.” It vexed him how those words poured out of him with little regard to his pride.

 

“Of course, kitten. I’m always here for you.” Changmin grinned, bending his head to whisper seductively, “Now, go give birth to our baby.”

 

Yunho swore under his breath as Changmin ducked out of the room; cackling could be heard through the door. _Brazen bastard!_

 

Taemin moved, catching Yunho’s attention. Tilting his head to the side, Taemin said, “You already nipped me a bit from before.”

 

Sure enough, a tiny red bite was imprinted over Taemin’s pulsing vein. Yunho summoned up all his power to wield the beast inside him. Running his tongue over his teeth, Yunho sprung forth, taking the young human’s life.

 

_Miyoung…Subin…forgive me._

 

 

~**~

  

 

Watching Taemin’s thin body writhe in agony on the bed caused Yunho to eventually sink into a chair and hold his head between his hands. The transformation went on for hours; Yunho didn’t open his eyes until the screaming ceased.

 

“Yunho?”

 

Yunho opened his tear-stained eyes. Taemin was sitting up on the bed, looking around the room with eyes black as night.

 

Standing up, Yunho approached the bed cautiously. “Taemin? How are you feeling?”

 

The black eyes narrowed on him as the boyish voice growled, “Hungry!”

 

Changmin came bursting into the room. “I’ll feed him. Sit down, Yunho, rest now.”

 

“I can feed him,” Yunho volunteered.

 

“No,” Changmin held him back. “You actually fed from a human tonight. Let that stay in your system. You need your strength.”

 

Yunho sat on the end of the bed and surveyed how Changmin fed Taemin. The boy suckled aggressively at the older vampire’s neck. Changmin pushed him away once it became too much.

 

Taemin crawled towards Yunho with incredible hazel eyes and embraced him, saying, “I feel so safe with you both. We will be together forever now.”

 

Yunho wrapped his arms around the smaller, now much colder body, taking in Taemin’s scent. Like a newborn baby.

 

Sighing, he glanced up at Changmin and said, “I still hate you.”

 

Smiling softly, Changmin responded, “I know.”

 

 

~**~

 

 

Taemin was taken on his first hunt with him, Changmin, Jaejoong the following night. For the first time since the night of his birth, Yunho didn’t hunt mice. Changmin noted out loud as they crossed a field, “Has the kitty lost his appetite for mice?”

 

With widened eyes, Taemin asked, “You eat mice? Do I have to eat mice?”

 

Yunho tightened his arms around Taemin’s shoulders. Call it a paternal instinct, but Yunho didn’t want Taemin to suffer as he had every time he denied himself a human.

 

“No, baby,” Yunho answered reassuringly. “You can eat whatever you choose.”

 

Jaejoong laughed jovially. “Daddy is protective of his young!”

 

Changmin rang in the laughter. Yunho smiled inwardly. It felt good to have a child again…even one as big as Taemin.

 

Two things Yunho learned on their hunt: Taemin was a mischievous little monster (but God help him, he adored the boy just the same), and vampires could be born with special gifts.

 

Jaejoong was a shape-shifter, a chameleon of sorts who can take the appearance of any person he chooses. It was a device used to hoodwink his prey.

 

Right in front of him, Jaejoong transformed into Taemin. It was eerie to see two Taemins standing next to each other, but the real Taemin got a huge laugh out of it.

 

Yunho asked, “Why’d you never show me your gift before?”

 

Jaejoong shifted back to his original appearance and replied, “Because I didn’t think you’d care to know. You seemed distressed enough accepting what you are.”

 

In truth, Yunho was still distressed. When it was time for him to feed, Yunho got cold feet, figuratively speaking. He stared at the fat old aristocrat Changmin suggested he take, and fled shortly after greeting the man.

 

Jaejoong had tears in his eyes laughing so hard. “Greeted him! _Good day, sir, hows about a cup of tea before I drink your blood_.”

 

“Be quiet, Jae,” Changmin commanded. “Come here, kitten.”

 

Yunho felt ashamed. Taemin was staring at him in slight disappointment. He shuffled over to Changmin and knew what to do the moment that long neck arched towards him. He stretched up and bit down.

 

Changmin breathed, “Wrap your arms around me.”

 

Yunho complied; too focused on the deliciousness of the blood to realize how intimate they were acting in front of Jaejoong and Taemin.

 

He pulled away when he felt Changmin lax in his arms and said, “Thank you.”

 

Changmin fed next, but Yunho couldn’t decipher what the taller vampire’s power was. And Jaejoong dismissed his inquiry. “He’ll tell you when it pleases him to do so.”

 

That frustrated Yunho. He wanted to know what made Changmin’s prey peer at their surroundings in awe before he took them.

 

Yunho realized he had no right to demand answers again, not without being forthright and honest about himself. So, he remained quiet.

 

Changmin finished eating and walked back to them wearing a satisfied, lopsided grin.

 

Yunho hated that grin. He really did.

 

 

~**~

 

 

Their late nights together consisted of each person retiring to their own room. Yunho would lie on his bed and gaze at the moon through his open window. He’d let his mind wander and dream of when he was human.

 

Always, Taemin knocked softly and entered. Without permission, the newborn vampire would crawl into his bed and curl into Yunho’s chest.

 

Yunho would cradle him instinctively, petting the younger’s hair. Soon after, the door creaked open again to admit a certain tall, lanky vampire. Changmin would mimic Taemin’s actions but curl into Yunho’s back.

 

They always lied there together, like a family.

 

Yes, _a_ _family_ , because soon after Yunho was dubbed ‘daddy’, Changmin started referring to himself as ‘papa’, pointedly when Jaejoong was present.

 

In some perverse way, this makeshift family pleased him. Yunho never felt warmer or safer than in-between these two creatures. They always came to him like he was their anchor. At the slightest shift, their arms would tighten around him.

 

Taemin typically grew restless from lying down too long, and so he would prance off to hop from tree-to-tree.

 

Left alone in the bedroom, Changmin would turn Yunho in his arms and routinely ask, “Are you happy?” And lay a kiss on the corner of Yunho’s mouth.

 

Yunho would nod numbly, surprising himself each time he didn’t shove Changmin away. The vibrations always returned. And the tell-tale tingling on his lips scared him.

 

With a relieved smile and not another word, the older vampire would rise and leave the room.

 

And every night, Yunho fought not to call Changmin back.

 

He resolutely told himself, as he buried his face in the pillow Changmin rested on, _hang on to your hate. It’s justifiable. It’s understandable. These new feelings are dangerous._

 

Yunho clung on tighter to the pillow, hearing Taemin’s whooping jubilation in the distance. 

 

 


	6. Sweet Surrender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A vampire offers a despairing man an alternative to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the amazing humuhumu88 for the beta!

 

Sitting on an old swing, Yunho kicked off the ground with his boots, gently rocking himself back and forth. The rusting metal of the swing was the only sound breaking the desolate silence. A homeless man was sleeping underneath the large slide.

 

Yunho observed the rest of the hollow place with a twisted smile. This park used to be such a popular place. Even at night, it was well-lit and usually crawling with small families out for casual fun. Located in the small town near his old ranch, Yunho remembered all the times he’d bring Miyoung and Subin here. His daughter always ran to the swings first, yelling, “Push me, daddy!”

 

Her voice was echoing in his head, filling with it a heavy load of nostalgia. Many nights he came here, tormenting himself with the memories. Nobody ever visited this park anymore. Not that he blamed them. This was where his wife and child were murdered. Word must have spread and no one dared to step foot in it.

 

Yunho’s gaze wandered back to the homeless man, who was shivering and moving restlessly about the newspapers spread out beneath him. Yunho felt no compulsion to drink from this poor man. Soon after the first hunt with Taemin, Yunho discovered he was unable to kill anyone without justification. Like the older man who harassed Taemin and, more recently, a man who was beating his wife in the street. Whenever he saw a woman or child in any sort of harm, Yunho reacted on instinct like they were his own to protect.

 

He stopped hunting with Taemin, Changmin, and Jaejoong. He hunted on his own, seeking prey that boiled his blood and made him thirst to drain theirs. Changmin said nothing to him about it but Yunho could tell the other vampire was pleased to see him eating healthier.

 

Laying his cheek against the metal chain of the swing, Yunho stared off into nothing, vaguely wondering what Changmin and Taemin were up to.

 

A sparkling, shimmery light flickered at the very top of the slide. Yunho smiled, knowing who it was.

 

The light dimmed and took the shape of a grinning Taemin. Springing off the slide, Taemin landed on the gravel near the swing. “Yunho! I followed you here.”

 

“I can see that,” Yunho noted softly. “And I didn’t even see you. Good job.”

 

Taemin puffed up and pointed at his own chest proudly. “Thank you! Papa’s been helping me perfect my gift.”

 

Yunho kicked a small stone with his foot. “You don’t have to call him ‘papa’ all the time.”

 

Taemin skipped to the other swing and sat down. “Changmin insists I call him ‘papa’ always, daddy.”

 

Warmth ran through him at “daddy”, but even more so at “papa”. But he rolled his eyes and muttered, “That ridiculous nut.”

 

Taemin stretched backwards until the back of his head touched the gravel and said in a sing-song voice, “That nut loves you.”

 

Yunho jolted from the swing. Jaejoong’s words came echoing back to him. _“Changmin is very particular. About everything, actually. Even who he chooses as his life companion.”_

 

Changmin loving him. The thought terrified and thrilled him at the same time. “I don’t think so, Taemin. He just feels responsible for me. He’s the one who turned me.”

 

Taemin snorted then sat straight up, sniffing the air. Yunho quickly cocked his head to the side. The homeless man had stepped out of the cocoon of the slide, eyeing the vampires cautiously. Taemin’s eyes were starting to darken. Yunho stood in the young vampire’s path, commanding, “Don’t, Taeminnie.”

 

He felt responsible for controlling his newborn. As much as he adores Taemin, Yunho wasn’t naïve enough to not acknowledge the fact that this boy was capable of being a ruthless killer.

 

With only a bit of dithering, Taemin relaxed into the seat of the swing and smiled at Yunho. “Push me, daddy.”

 

Happiness bubbled in his chest and Yunho moved to stand behind Taemin, placing his hand on the younger’s back and pushed him gently…

 

Creating a new memory in this place with his boy.

 

 

 

~**~

 

 

Changmin had developed a surprising attachment to Taemin. He never let the boy hunt alone and always kept him under control.

 

One night, after a hunt, Taemin came storming into the house with Changmin on his tail, yelling, “That was unacceptable, boy! Come back here and explain yourself!”

 

Taemin yelled back, hazel eyes glowing, “Must you stop me from making the best kills?”

 

Sapphire eyes burning, Changmin quieted. “When your careless actions almost expose us to the humans, it becomes a problem. A servant girl in the middle of a tavern? Why do you even have a gift of invisibility if you’re not going to use it? And didn’t I tell you not to go after servants?”

 

Pouting, Taemin hid himself behind Yunho. “I was hungry!”

 

Changmin pointed accusingly and started yelling again, “Oh no, you don’t! You will not hide behind Yunho. Yunho, would you reason with him! The boy is as stubborn as you are!”

 

Used to their arguments, Yunho twisted around and hugged Taemin. “Why did you disobey him, Taeminnie? You know, we cannot expose ourselves.”

 

Taemin nodded against Yunho’s chest. “I know. I’m sorry.”

 

Grumbling under his breath, Changmin stridden over to stand next to them and gathered them both into his arms. Mouth pressed against Yunho’s forehead, Changmin said, “I need teach him more about self-control. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

 

The hardness of Changmin’s lean body molding into his side was distracting Yunho. He released Taemin and stepped back, nodding numbly.

 

“Taemin, meet me outside,” Changmin ordered. The boy mumbled an ‘okay’ and walked away with his head down.

 

Changmin approached Yunho, eyes narrowed and fierce. “I will take care of our boy. I will protect our little family.”

 

Yunho walked backwards until his back hit the wall. The strong paternal responsibility Changmin displayed on a regular basis made Yunho even more curious to learn more about the older vampire. But the intensity of Changmin himself still made him nervous.

 

A hand reached out to caress his cheek. Yunho didn’t push it away. Changmin smiled and asked politely, “May I have kiss?”

 

Stifling the vibrations, Yunho stared into Changmin’s eyes and shook his head. “I don’t think that would be wise.”

 

The smile sharpened to a smirk as Changmin disagreed, “ _Au contraire, mon cheri_. I think it would be _explosive_ and uncontrollable like a raging fire. Or is that what you’re afraid of?”

 

Despising the arrogance, Yunho ducked under Changmin’s arm and tried to slip away but Changmin dragged him back.

 

The older vampire mouthed into Yunho’s ear, “You can’t run from me forever, kitten. I know how I’m starting to make you feel. And you must know how I feel about you.”

 

“I know nothing of the sort.” Then, Yunho had to ask, “How _do_ you feel about me?”

 

Changmin chuckled, making Yunho shiver as hot air blew on his earlobe. “How can you not know I’m in love with you?”

 

Oh. _OH._

 

Yunho gave up struggling and covered his eyes with his hand. “How can you say that to me?” _No one has ever said that to me. Miyoung and I only ever exchanged soft I love you’s._

 

Changmin replied humorlessly, “You think it’s easy for me to say that? You think I’ve felt this way before? You know nothing about me.”

 

Yunho tore away and raised his voice, “Because you won’t tell me anything!”

 

Changmin kept his voice low. “Because you’ve been so open and honest with me, right?”

 

Desiring to tear his hair out, Yunho settled for throwing a vase into the wall. “How do you expect me to trust you with the most vulnerable part of myself if you won’t trust me with yours? I’m the one in the dark here. All I get from you is a know-it-all, arrogant, smothering attitude. You know at least a smidge about what led me here and my current struggles. But you share absolutely nothing about yourself!”

 

Changmin finally looked away, fists clenched. “You’re right.” And just like that, he walked out of the house.

 

Yunho was left more frustrated than ever.

 

 

~**~

 

 

After lighting the fireplace, Yunho sat on the floor near it, not for the physical necessity but for the comforting glow of the flames. It reminded him of the sun. If he closed his eyes he could make-believe it was the sun’s hot beam shining down on his face.

 

The front door opened and closed. Yunho sensed it was Jaejoong. The other vampire sat down beside him and nudged him on the shoulder. “Hey, you. Did you and Changmin get into another fight? I saw him storming away and dragging Taemin with him.”

 

Yunho nodded glumly, unable to speak. Emotion was clogging his throat. His feelings for Changmin were becoming unbearable.

 

Jaejoong stared into the fire. It surprised Yunho how quiet the other was being. “Are you alright, hyung?”

 

Without a word, Jaejoong pulled out a cigar from his pocket and lit it using a small flame from the fireplace. Lips on the other end of the cigar, Jaejoong sucked in deeply and blew out a thick cloud of smoke. “Try it. It doesn’t do much for us physically but it’s a relaxing habit.”

 

Yunho took the cigar carefully and breathed in a long drag. Smoke curled around his face as he blew out. It was oddly relaxing. They sat side-by-side in front of the fire, smoking soundlessly.

 

When the cigar had deteriorated down to a short nub, Jaejoong suggested a short trip. “Come with me the Taebaek Mountains. We can climb Seoraksan, the highest mountain in the range. It’ll clear your head and you can come home feeling refreshed.”

 

The idea sounded divine. Yunho looked back towards the front door. A part of him felt he should let Changmin know of their plan. Jaejoong seemed to read his mind when he said, “Don’t worry, we’ll be back before sunrise.”

 

Yunho left a note anyway.

 

 

~**~

 

 

Him and Jaejoong traveled northeast on foot, racing each other most of the way. The crescent moon peaked over the long stretch of the Taebaek mountain range. The glow captured Seoraksan Mountain from the right. The ridges leading up to the highest peak were sharp and scaly; it made hopping around them challenging.

 

At the top, Yunho picked a plume to sit on and gazed down at the greenery below. There was a temple to the left with a grand statue of Buddha in the courtyard. The breeze blew harshly at such a high elevation. Yunho savored it.

 

“Changmin comes here often,” Jaejoong cut through the congenial silence.

 

“Really?” Yunho inclined his head curiously. “Why are you telling me this?”

 

Jaejoong shrugged. “I figured you’d want to learn something about him.”

 

“You must have known him for a very time,” Yunho commented wistfully. “I wish I understood him. He told me he was in love with me. What am I supposed to do with that?”

 

“You’re supposed to give him a chance,” Jaejoong spoke thoughtfully. “And I have not known him for _that_ long. We are friends but we don’t have the connection of true companions.”

 

“So, Changmin wasn’t the one who turned you?” Yunho asked.

 

Jaejoong shook his head, laughing cynically. “No, no. Another vampire named Yoochun did that. But he disappeared shortly after turning me. I haven’t been able to track him down.”

 

“He turned you against your will?”

 

Jaejoong laughed again. “Oh no. I stumbled across Yoochun’s path one night on the street. He dragged me into alleyway. Despite his dull eyes, I felt his power, his beauty. I wanted to possessive it. I don’t know why, but he gave me a choice: death or immortality. I chose him. But he left me after a month.”

 

Yunho asked tactfully, “Were you in love with him?”

 

“It was purely sexual,” Jaejoong answered curtly. “I don’t want to talk about Yoochun anymore. Tell me, are you going to give Changmin a chance?”

 

Biting at his bottom lip, Yunho said regretfully, “I’ve been so angry at him these 18 years. I don’t know how to be anything else around him. I can’t even organize my feelings for him long enough to understand how to act on it.”

 

“Has he asked you for a kiss?” Jaejoong asked slyly.

 

Yunho turned his face away. “Yes. But I refused it. He won’t open up to me when he at least knows about the loss of my wife and daughter.”

 

Jaejoong made an inaudible noise and inquired, “Yunho, where did you discover their bodies?”

 

Yunho told him about the park in the small town near his old ranch. Jaejoong appeared more pale than usual as he placed both hands on Yunho’s shoulders. “We are friends, right, Yun-dol?”

 

Confused by the sudden question, Yunho replied, “Well, of course. What would make you doubt that?”

 

Jaejoong whispered, “Just don’t forget that, please.”

 

 

~**~

 

 

Yunho and Jaejoong rushed back home within minutes before sunrise. As they raced to the house, laughing at their own childishness, Yunho realized how much he had benefited from the short trip to the Taebaek mountains.

 

Yunho’s smile fell when his eyes came upon Changmin, who stood like a blockade in front of them.

 

Anguish was the only word to describe the emotion etched across Changmin’s beautiful face. Yunho stepped forward. Changmin stepped back.

 

Jaejoong coughed, stifling a laugh, and rushed around the room to shut all the curtains. “Come on, Taemin, let’s go upstairs. I can’t go home now that it’s daylight. Let’s play a game of chess.”

 

Taemin watched Yunho and Changmin nervously by the bottom of the stairs then nodded and followed Jaejoong up.

 

“Changmin,” Yunho started, feeling an unnecessary need to explain himself. “I left a note.”

 

Changmin’s anguish only intensified as he uttered crisply, “You laughed. You smiled. But not for me. Never for me.”

 

Yunho stepped closer. “Changmin…I don’t know what to say.”

 

Changmin spun around and marched over to the fireplace. He kneels on the floor and sat down with his legs folded underneath him. The orange flames reflected off Changmin’s white marble face, mesmerizing Yunho.

 

“I was an orphan, raised as a servant boy. Much like our Taemin,” Changmin revealed tensely.

 

Yunho’s mind buzzed to absorbed the image of little human Changmin as a poor orphan. “Is that why you go after the aristocrats?”

 

With a twisted smile, Changmin gritted, “The poor do not taste as good. It’s not fun taking away everything from someone who has nothing. But those high-class bastards. The ones that abused me and the ones born thereafter pay the price every time I’m hungry.”

 

Yunho kneeled down next to Changmin, eyes wide and unblinking, eager to hear more.

 

Changmin sent him a fleeting glance before speaking contritely and free of pretentiousness, “You have no idea how long I’ve been alone. Despite how assertive I am with you, I don’t normally let anyone close to my heart. But your blood called to me the night I discovered you. The beast inside me screamed: _mine_. I thought after I turned you, everything would be different. I thought I’d finally have a partner. But you wanted none of that. For 18 years I held on to this fantasy that you would come to me, smile and want to be with me. I must accept now that it’ll always remain a fantasy.”

 

Empathy gushed out of Yunho. He slowly reached out and lightly touched Changmin’s cheek with his fingertips. Changmin sat immobilized, letting Yunho touch. Glossy sapphire orbs met amethyst tenderly as Yunho scooted closer.

 

Voice thick with emotion, Yunho told Changmin about his human life. When he got to the end and said, “Miyoung and Subin had bites on their necks. They were taken from me by the very beast I am today.” There wasn’t a hint of judgment in Changmin’s stunning eyes, only humility and understanding.

 

Only then did Yunho realize how blind he had been, selfishly dwelling on his pain alone. He regretted not trusting Changmin and confiding in him earlier. The lack of surprise on the other vampire’s face raised a flag but Yunho dismissed it for the time being. He didn’t want to talk anymore.

 

Sitting up on his knees, Yunho cradled Changmin’s jaw in his palm. “You asked for a kiss earlier…”

 

The reflection of the fire set those sapphire eyes aflame. “Yes, oh yes, kitten.”

 

Yunho was growing quite fond of the sappy endearment. He lowered his mouth. “One kiss…” Then he parted his lips and seized Changmin’s wide lips.

 

The explosive effect was instantaneous. The soft mouth underneath his opened and Changmin’s tongue plunged into Yunho’s mouth. Vibration shuddered through him. He pulled back, lips still brushing against Changmin’s. “What is that vibrating feeling?”

 

“That’s the physical effect of your arousal,” Changmin said in between kisses, “As vampires, we feel in tenfold: hunger, desire, love…”

 

“Love,” Yunho muttered, throwing a leg over Changmin’s thighs to straddle him. He curved his head to the side, exposing the side of his neck. “Drink from my body…”

 

Changmin made a guttural sound of incredulity; he was trembling beneath Yunho. Teeth pierced Yunho’s neck and sucked unforgivingly. The initial pain dulled to a fervent pressure and pleasure that shot straight to his cock.

 

He waited for the guilt and sorrow of him being intimate with someone other than his wife. But it never came. He _wanted_ this with Changmin, the creature that saved him and never left his side through 18 years of receiving only rejection and scornful words.

 

Yunho draped his arms over Changmin’s shoulders and gripped Changmin with his thighs. He questioned thickly, “How can you love me? After I’ve treated you so poorly?”

 

Changmin drew his teeth out deftly. “Because you’re beautiful.”

 

Yunho’s hand came up to cover the bite wound. “Not this again. I’m not beautiful!”

 

Changmin removed Yunho’s hand and licked the bite-mark, soothing it with his cool tongue. Yunho shuddered when the older vampire guided him to lie flat on the floor.

 

Rising up, Changmin unbuttoned his shirt and pulled down his trousers. Yunho bit at his fingernail, staring up in awe at the majestic sight above him. When Changmin’s underwear slipped down, Yunho’s eyes were glued to the long cock standing up proudly for him.

 

Unabashedly, Changmin asked, “Do you think I’m beautiful?”

 

“Yes,” Yunho breathed. “You are, but I’m not. I’d rather keep my clothes on if you don’t mind.”

 

Changmin grinned. “And how am I supposed to love your body if I can’t undress you?”

 

Yunho turned on his side and watched the fire. Changmin lied down in front of him, his back to the fire, and declared, “I will find the bastard of a vampire who destroyed your family. You need closure so we can be happy together. I need you.”

 

Lifting himself off the floor, Yunho began to undress with his eyes closed. “You don’t have to seek revenge for me. You’ll never find him. It’s been years.”

 

Once Yunho had discarded the last article of clothing, Changmin spoke softly, “I will find him. Now, enough chatter. Open your eyes and come to me, kitten.”

 

When their eyes met, Changmin stretched out a hand. Yunho took it and was led to straddle the other vampire again. Changmin gazed up at him and said, “Do you have any idea what your eyes do to me? Do you ever wonder what your power is?”

 

Yunho moaned as their cocks touched. “I – I assumed I didn’t have one. I’m not special like the rest of you.”

 

Changmin wrapped a hand around both of their shafts and squeezed. “You’re beautiful.”

 

“Stop saying that!”

 

“I love you,” Changmin’s thumb rubbed over the tip of Yunho’s cock. A couple of fingers traveled across Yunho’s waist to the cleft of his buttocks and slid in between the rounded mounds.

 

Yunho collapsed on top of the other’s body, leaning forward for a kiss. Changmin kissed him over and over again; nipping him lightly all around his neck as he proclaimed, “You are an immortal with a mortal spirit. You’re beautiful…inside and out.”

 

As a long finger entered him from behind, Yunho bit Changmin’s neck, making the other hiss and frantically scramble to line up his cock at Yunho’s entrance.

 

Yunho panicked for a moment. Won’t this hurt?

 

Changmin sensed the hesitation and reassured Yunho with a kiss. “Your body will accommodate me, I promise.”

 

Changmin slowly pushed inside Yunho whilst continuing to kiss him. Yunho’s body stretched and enveloped Changmin with perfect suction. He’d never felt more full, more complete than at that moment.

 

“Lean back and fuck yourself on me, kitten,” Changmin directed hoarsely.

 

Yunho heaved himself up and leaned back on his hands, knees pointing up, and he clamped down on the erect cock. Changmin groaned loudly, “Ohhhhh! Ah, ah, ah! Yes, come on, fuck harder!”

 

It was amazing. No matter how fast he thrusts, neither of them got tired. The powerful vibrations sent coils of pleasure to his groin. He tried to stay quiet but a whimper escaped him as he stabbed a spot inside him that drove him wild.

 

Changmin grew more impatient and boosted Yunho off his cock roughly. Rolling to his side on the floor, Yunho had time to glare for a second before Changmin straddled one of his thighs and lifted Yunho’s other leg over his shoulder. With one swift stretch, Changmin had penetrated Yunho deeply, ramming into him at an inhumane speed.

 

Mouth gaping open, Yunho whined mutely. He reached down to stroke his rigid member, urgently seeking release. Changmin slowed down and rolled Yunho onto his back, folded Yunho’s knees up to his chest, entering him again little by little.

 

Each drag into and out of his body caused Yunho to spasm and spurt red pearly strings from the tip of his cock. Changmin smiled down at him, pace completely unhurried as he watched Yunho become undone. Yunho was on the precipice, rapt by the beauty of Changmin’s wild black hair and smooth skin kissed by firelight.

 

“Come for me!” Changmin’s hand took control pumping him with the beat of each fuck.

 

Skin slapped against skin in countless shallow jabs. Yunho found himself keening, “Changmin! Changmin! Changmin!”, and hauling his companion into his arms for a hungry kiss as he shattered underneath the other’s sinewy body.

 

Changmin pulled out of Yunho and sunk down to lie on his stomach between Yunho’s legs. Licking the red pearl droplets leaking out from Yunho’s cock, Changmin hummed, “So delicious.” He placed tiny kisses on Yunho’s bellybutton.

 

Yunho laughed inaudibly. But Changmin’s head popped up on alert. “A smile! I got a smile! Laugh for me, I want to hear it!”

 

Covering his mouth, Yunho shook his head to refuse. Changmin grinned mischievously and attacked Yunho stomach and chest with biting kisses. Resonant hiccupy laughter escaped Yunho and he gave in to it.

 

Changmin ceased the kisses and relaxed with his face pressed into Yunho’s neck. “You make me feel human.”

 

Twisting his fingers into Changmin’s thick hair, Yunho stared at the ceiling, listening to the crack and whip of the fire.

 

_You make me feel beautiful._

 

 

 


	7. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A vampire offers a despairing man an alternative to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the amazing humuhumu88 for the beta!

 

For three days, Yunho and Changmin never left the house. Changmin had asked Jaejoong to take care of Taemin, ordering them to stay away from the house. Jaejoong had agreed with an exasperated shake of the head, “I wouldn’t dare enter without permission. We heard you from upstairs. How long have you been without sex, Changmin?”

 

Changmin had promptly hit Jaejoong over the head for the smart aleck remark. Taemin had grinned but also a bit at loss on what to say. So, he hugged his daddy and papa and bolted out the door with Jaejoong.

 

On the third night, Yunho was lying on top of Changmin, drinking leisurely from the older vampire’s neck. Moaning, Changmin arched up, tapping the side of Yunho’s bare hip with his cock. “I’ve got a few more drops left…suck me, please!”

 

Yunho retracted his teeth and stared down into Changmin’s eyes. Changmin’s body shook with an intensity that startled Yunho. Voice strangled, Changmin remarked, “You’ve become so good at that.”

 

“Good at what?”

 

“Making me feel what you feel.”

 

“What –“

 

“Please!” Changmin bucked his hips, rubbing his erection against Yunho’s thigh.

 

Responding lustfully to the urgency, Yunho slid his body down until this mouth captured the head of Changmin’s dick. Mindful of his teeth, he sucked and sipped at each excreted red pearl. It tasted _so_ good, and with Changmin’s scent of arousal infiltrated his scenes, Yunho was convinced this was more satisfying than hunting for human blood.

 

He hummed as his lips mouthed the crown of the cock with tighter suction. Changmin grunted noisily, pulling on Yunho’s hair. Yunho responded by releasing the head and skimming his tongue up the hard shaft, mouthing clumsily at the tightened balls underneath.

 

Changmin thrashed. “Fuck! Never…in all my years…Yunho! Come here, I beg of you!”

 

Yunho felt a hand reach around him to squeeze a butt-cheek; he knew this was the signal to climb on top and take control. He mounted Changmin and took him inside his body.

 

Riding the other vampire’s cock in long, languid strokes, Yunho never broke eye-contact with Changmin, whose eyes were coal black and hooded.

 

When his pleasure accelerated to incredible heights, Yunho shut his eyes and rode faster, hands gripping Changmin’s shoulders.

 

Changmin seemed to snap into action and flipped them around, seizing Yunho’s thighs and sliding back inside with a long sigh. Yunho gasped and wrapping his arms around Changmin’s neck, letting the other vampire take them both over the edge, leaving them spent and dehydrated but glowing in each other’s arms. 

 

They’ve been at it for days, in every room and on every available surface of the house. Yunho could think of little else. He was relieved Jaejoong was taking care of Taemin because he didn’t want to traumatize his boy. Yunho never realized he was so sex-starved, that he could be so wanton with anyone. It seemed Changmin was equally in awe every time they came.

 

Head resting on Yunho’s chest, Changmin murmured, “I knew being with you like would be amazing, I just never anticipated _this_. When you freely stare into my eyes, dropping all defenses, I can _feel_ what you’re feeling. I can _taste_ it. The effect makes me insatiable.” Then there was a kiss to Yunho’s lips and a whisper, “I want this with you forever. Will you have me?”

 

“Forever?” Yunho repeated, testing the word. Two things hit him at once. One, he’s a dark creature who could live till end of time, which was a terrifying realization. Two, right now, he’s ravenous for fresh blood.            

 

Tensing in Yunho’s arms, Changmin said lowly, “No forever?”

 

Yunho remained quiet. Changmin lifted his head, voice filled with concern, “You must be starving. I know I haven’t been this famish since I was a newborn. Let’s go hunting before sunrise.”

 

Yunho nodded, grateful to the other for not putting any pressure on him. He needed more time to process his feelings. And _time_ was something vampires had an abundance of. Changmin wouldn’t leave him, right?

 

 

~**~

 

 

“Good evening, sir,” Yunho bowed to his prey, a middle-aged man with streaks of silver in his hair. Yunho rooted the man to his spot with lustrous, amethyst irises. The man’s eyes glossed over with desire as he appeared completely enamored with Yunho.

 

Licking his lips, Yunho’s beast fed off the adoration. He brought the man close to his body and descended, biting the neck fiercely, taking the man’s life with each draw of blood.

 

Afterwards, Yunho heaved a few sobs then shook off his grief. _It was either him or me. I choose me. I choose to survive._

 

He pulled himself together and ran off to find Changmin, leaving the dead body of his prey on the street.  

 

 

~**~

 

 

Changmin was standing on the next street over, having finished his kill. He looked immensely pleased when he saw Yunho. “I’m so proud of you. You’re accepting what you are.”

 

Yunho clasped Changmin’s right hand and answered with self-deprecation, “It’s still a struggle. I had no justification for the killing the man back there…only hunger. But I couldn’t resist, and it seemed he couldn’t resist me. He had followed me for several blocks.”

 

Chuckling and squeezing Yunho’s hand, Changmin commended, “It’s because your defenses were down. Your power grows exponentially with your self-acceptance.”

 

“You said I am an _immortal with a mortal’s spirit_ ,” Yunho recited. “That’s not a power.”

 

“Tut tut, kitten, it is,” Changmin said casually as they strolled together. “You project internal beauty and that is rare for creatures like us. Tell me what you did to that man?”

 

Yunho recalled what happened. “I looked directly at him. We stared at each other for several minutes, and he felt compelled to follow me even after I rejected him.”

 

Changmin stopped walking and peered down into Yunho’s face. “I had a theory your power would come from those mesmerizing eyes of yours. And I was right. You destroy me when we’re mating. Everything you feel, I start to feel and so I crave more. You were three-days starved; that poor man stood no chance to resist. Just as Taemin didn’t stand a chance when he followed you at the banquet. He must have felt the sadness and loneliness you projected as if it were his own.”

 

Yunho walked with Changmin for several minutes before saying, “So, I am a mood-maker.”

 

Changmin smiled. “Yes, your emotional state is felt by others. The more you focus and practice this gift, the more regally enthralling and mysterious you will become. It’s a complex gift; one very rare for vampires. Usually, we can control others, not make them _feel_ so profoundly. I’ve never met anyone like you in my 200 years.”  

 

“200 years,” Yunho repeated, stunned. “How do you not get tired of existing? What keeps you going for that long? Isn’t the thought of living forever terrifying to you?”

 

Changmin slowed his steps and wrapped an arm around Yunho’s waist. “As a human, I knew nothing but isolation and neglect. When my creator made me, he took care of me for a while before he was destroyed by a gang from our kind.” Changmin’s eyes grew distant with the painful memory. “I wish he could have lived. I saw him as a father figure; he treated me like he would a son…”

 

Yunho inclined his head for a comforting kiss; Changmin consented immediately, groaning gruffly. Soft lips grazing Yunho’s, Changmin spoke emphatically, “The only thing that terrifies me is living forever _alone_ , without _you_.”

 

Deeply touched, Yunho embraced Changmin, cheek resting snuggly against the taller vampire’s right shoulder. Oddly enough, the fear of _forever_ didn’t strike like it did earlier. Sharing an eternity with someone who loved him didn’t seem so frightening at all.

 

Yunho was about to say something when a familiar gate caught his eye. He hadn’t been aware they were at the same town and arrived at the same park from his past.

 

Letting go of Changmin, Yunho walked forward, closing in on the entrance of the park. Changmin tailed after him, asking, “Yunho? What’s wrong? Why are you moving away?”

“This is where I found them,” Yunho responded mechanically. “Miyoung...Subin…”

 

Changmin stepped in front of him, with a calm expression, and asked, “Can you show me where?”

 

Uncertain why it mattered, Yunho led the way into the park. It was deserted, not a leaf was stirring. That homeless man had probably sought refuge elsewhere.

 

As they walked, Yunho told him, “We had all come in to town because I needed to buy some supplies for the ranch. Subin loved visiting this park.” Yunho’s voice broke. He swallowed and continued telling his story, “There were a few couples seated on the benches and strolling around the small pond when I dropped Miyoung and Subin off to go store hopping. It was after sunset…I should have stayed with them…”

 

Changmin was glaring at a spot on the ground, lips pursed tightly. “If you had stayed with them, you would have been killed too.” Eyes transformed to wide and pleading, Changmin asked, “If you had the chance to go back and change things, would you do it?”

 

Yunho was about to open his mouth and say: _Of course! To save my precious Miyoung and Subin, I’d do anything!_

 

But then his mind quickly brought of images of his old, simple life…a life without Changmin. His body froze as he realized that thought distressed him.

 

“I wouldn’t,” Yunho gasped lightly. “I – I can’t believe it. I’m so selfish!”

 

They had arrived at the swings. Yunho grasped a metal chain and almost took it off its hinge in his fury. Changmin enveloped Yunho from behind and stated dimly, “You are not selfish. You are just becoming content with your new life. One can never find happiness dwelling on the past. Even if you went back, that’s no guarantee you would have remained happy the rest of your life. Sometimes you _dreamt of a more exciting life_ …”

 

Yunho turned his head to the side, lips inches away from Changmin’s. “You heard my confession to Jaejoong that night, didn’t you? All this time, you knew?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

 

Changmin nuzzled Yunho’s cheek. “Because I needed to hear it from your own lips. I thought I’d give you time to heal on your own too. But it seems I must find this killer and let the sun turn him into ash.”

 

Yunho curved his neck, lips parting. Changmin kissed him languidly. After they released each other, Changmin’s lips quivered into a tiny smile, “I can feel your gratitude and desire for me.”

 

For a brief moment, Yunho didn’t care who the killer was. His mind and body wanted to explore the gorgeous creature pressed so securely behind him. He grabbed Changmin’s wrist and brought it to his mouth, nipping the delicate skin. Changmin keened, “Oh kitten, don’t try to distract me. Come on, show me…”

 

Yunho kept hold of the wrist as he dragged Changmin to a small area behind the swings, on the other side of a bunch of thick shrubberies.     

 

In a hushed tone, he said, “This is where I found them. I fell to my knees and wept. The people around heard the noise and came to my aid. Miyoung and Subin were dead; there was nothing anyone could do. The days that followed were hell on Earth. I took to drinking and tearing the ranch apart. I didn’t know my purpose in life anymore. After the funeral, I wandered into the woods near the ranch and stabbed myself. That’s when you found me.”

 

Yunho noticed Changmin was in a catatonic state, eyes spaced out. The older vampire appeared more perturbed as the minutes ticked by and neither of them said anything.

 

Yunho worried he said something wrong. “Changmin, are you alright?”

 

Changmin snapped out of it, pitched over and crumbled to his knees. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

 

Alarmed by helpless reaction, Yunho knelt, “Changmin! Why are you saying this?”

 

Sapphire irises dim and miserable, Changmin pleaded, “ _I love you_. Please, don’t forget that.”

 

 

~**~

 

 

The sky was pitch-black due to it being a new moon night, but their immortal eyes missed nothing as they journeyed back to the house at human speed. It seemed Changmin didn’t want to rush but at the same time, his companion never started up a conversation, only clinging to Yunho’s hand.

 

Upon their arrival home, Taemin greeted them at the door. “Daddy! Papa! I missed you!”

 

Yunho enfolded Taemin in his arms. “Did Jaejoong bring you back?”

 

Taemin nodded, staring back and forth between Yunho and Changmin. “Jae said he couldn’t stand my energy anymore.”

 

“He probably grew weary of your pranks,” Yunho said cannily, tousling the younger’s hair.

 

Taemin pouted. “Maybe. But I was only getting back at him for pretending to be you and trying to spank me!”

 

Jaejoong entered the living room gingerly. Taemin pointed an accusing finger at him. “Never try spanking me again! Daddy, you’d never really do it right?”

 

Yunho kissed Taemin’s nose reassuringly. “Of course not. Unless, you pull your pranks on me.”

 

“I would never!” Taemin grinned, leaning adorably into the kiss.

 

Feeling Changmin move away, Yunho spun around, catching the other vampire just as he’d reached the staircase.

 

Jaejoong stridden forward, shoulders hunched. “Yunho, I have something to tell you.”

Changmin stopped in his tracks, only his sharp profile visible, jawline strained. “Jae…”

 

Dark hair concealing half his face, Jaejoong uttered quietly, “The year was 1933 when I was turned by the vampire, Yoochun. That same year, my creator, my companion deserted me. Also, that same year, I met a lone vampire named Changmin. But meeting another wasn’t enough to stifle my grief and so I lost what little control I had over my hunger.”

 

Changmin interjected, “Stop it, Jae! It wasn’t your fault, it was –”

 

“But it was!” Jaejoong bellowed, turning agonized green eyes onto Yunho. “Please, don’t hate me…”

 

Yunho’s mind whirred, calculating the facts and overreactions quickly. _The year was 1933…that same year…_ _I lost what little control I had over my hunger…_

_“We are friends, right, Yun-dol? Just don’t forget that, please.”_

And the disturbing realization hit him…

 

“It was you.” Yunho muttered mostly to himself. “It was you…”

 

Jaejoong heard and stooped low to the floor. “I’m so sorry, Yun-dol! Please, forgive me…”

 

Yunho sprung backwards in revulsion. “YOU MURDERED MY FAMILY!”

 

Moving quickly, Jaejoong had his hands on Yunho’s shoulders. Yunho whacked them away and grabbed the liar by the collar. “You knew after I confessed to you, didn’t you? You knew all along and you never told me! You just lied to my face, pretending to be my friend!” With all his strength, Yunho threw Jaejoong across the room and into the nearest wall.

 

Changmin intervened by pulling Yunho into his arms. “Calm down…”

 

Yunho wretched away, eyes gleaming dangerously. “You said you’d find the killer and make him pay. Well, there’s the killer!” Gesturing aggressively in Jaejoong’s direction, Yunho roared, “GET HIM OUT OF MY SIGHT!”

 

Changmin appeared torn, distress written all over his features. Taemin hurriedly approached Yunho and reeled him out of the room. Throwing a look over his shoulder, Yunho saw Changmin forcefully press Jaejoong into the wall. Jaejoong was growling and fighting back.

 

As he climbed the stairs with Taemin, Yunho heard a desperate cry, “YUNHO, I’M SORRY!”

 

 

~**~

 

 

Minutes ticked on and Yunho heard nothing but the front door slam. The house was deathly silent. Taemin was sitting cross-legged on the bed, watching Yunho pace and retell his past.

 

Jaejoong was going to die. Yunho had more or less implied for Changmin to dispose of the liar. His emotions were going haywire as he pictured Jaejoong’s skin blistering under the sun’s rays and disintegrating into his bones, the heat working like acid to pulverize his bones into ash.

 

Yunho’s guts lurched. Hunched over with his hands resting on a chair, Yunho shut his eyes and tried to erase the image out of his mind. It was to no avail because now a disturbing vision of him pushing Jaejoong out the door at sunrise and hearing all the soft laughter mutate into excruciating screams and cries for help. 

 

Taemin was suddenly holding him from behind, face pressed into Yunho’s back. “I’m so sorry you went through all that, Yunho. But are you sure d-destroying Jaejoong is the right decision?”

 

Yunho didn’t know what was right but a flash of his daughter and wife’s pallid faces crossed his mind and he wanted Jaejoong dead. He just had to disregard their friendship…their natural connection as dark creatures who, at times, cannot control their urges.

 

For the first time since Taemin became his son, Yunho pushed him away. Taemin looked lost and confused at the rejection. Yunho didn’t want to talk anymore, he didn’t want to think. He wanted Changmin to come back and tell him everything would be okay.

 

Yunho resumed his frantic pacing, itching to tear the room apart. Yet, somehow he didn’t think demolishing even the bed stuffing was going to relieve him. _Where did Changmin take Jaejoong and why wasn’t his companion back yet?_

 

On cue, the door crept open gradually baring the sight of a haggard-looking Changmin. The older vampire was usually impeccably styled, but now, his ear-length dark hair was in disarray and his button-down shirt was loose and open, exposing his long lean chest.    

 

Digging his nails into his palms, Yunho stood still, watching Changmin almost fearfully enter the room. Wringing his fingers together nervously, Changmin came within an arm’s reach, staring at Yunho and saying nothing.

 

“D – Did you do it?” Yunho hated the tremor in his voice. He didn’t want to care about Jaejoong because Jaejoong certainly hadn’t cared about Subin and Miyoung.

 

“Yes.” Changmin regarded him wearily while speaking so low, Yunho struggled to catch everything. “He…He decided to go quietly.”

 

Frowning, Yunho asked, “What do you mean, _go quietly_? You two obviously fought.”

 

Changmin turned away to collapse on the bed. “After we fought, he said he didn’t want to cause you anymore pain and decided to sit the night outside and wait for the sun to rise.”

 

Yunho took two wide steps and was at the window beside Taemin, who was eyeing Changmin suspiciously. Poking his head out the window, Yunho saw no sign of Jaejoong. “Where is he?”

 

“At Mount Seoraksan. I told you he liked to go there.”

 

There was something off in Changmin’s statement that Yunho couldn’t quite place. All he could think about was Jaejoong up on the mountain top, tears of blood rolling down his cheeks as he awaited death. Somehow this was worse than anything Yunho could imagine, like having Jaejoong exiled or destroyed by Changmin.

 

Pushing off the window sill, Yunho started pacing again, tugging at his hair in frustration. He feels disoriented and restless. Shouldn’t he be happier knowing the creature that murdered his wife and daughter will die at dawn?

 

Maybe if he lied in Changmin’s arms, he’ll feel better. Yunho climbed onto the bed and lowered his head to Changmin’s chest. His companion seemed to become paralyzed underneath him. Yunho’s lips grazed the white skin above Changmin’s nipple. The body under him was attempting to deter the attention edging away from his mouth.

 

Something’s definitely wrong. A clipped snap of the window distracted him. Taemin was gone; the boy had jumped out the window and Yunho could hear the fading jumps from tree to tree.

 

 

 


	8. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A vampire offers a despairing man an alternative to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the amazing humuhumu88 for the beta! You have been wonderful throughout this entire story! ♥

 

Turning back to Changmin, Yunho needed to know what was making Changmin act so differently. The older vampire hadn’t put his arms around Yunho, he hadn’t tried to kiss Yunho…he’s just lying there stiff as a board and staring back at Yunho with haunted eyes.

 

“Changmin…kiss me.”

 

Fisting the bed sheets, Changmin responded inarticulately, “I’m…I don’t think…”

 

Yunho reeled in closer, mouth hovering over Changmin’s. He kept his eyes connected with his companion as he lowered his mouth, pressing softly into the other’s lips.

 

There was no sexual response; Changmin’s eyes were wide in panic. Yunho pulled away, sitting up on his knees. “What’s going on? What’s wrong with you?”

 

With pleading eyes, Changmin blurted out, “I’m sorry…Yun-dol, I’m sorry…”

 

 _Yun-dol?_ _Yun-dol!_

With stormy eyes of disbelief, Yunho backed away. “Jaejoong?”

 

Eyes twitching, Changmin bowed his head. “No…”

 

“Well, since when do you call me ‘Yun-dol’? What happened to ‘kitten’? And why won’t you kiss me?”

 

Head still bowed, there was no answer. Swallowing, Yunho grinded his teeth. “Are you angry with me for casting out your friend?”

 

“He was your friend too…” Changmin voice trailed off because Yunho was pushing the window open. “Where are you going?”

 

Biting his inner cheek harshly, Yunho quietly answered, “Maybe I should leave too.”

 

When Yunho had one leg over the window sill, Changmin had him by the arm and dragging him back inside. “Don’t, Yun-dol! Please!”

 

Yunho shrugged him off. “Stop calling me Yun-dol! I’m ‘kitten’ to you!”

 

“K-Kitten.”

 

The endearment sounded forced and unnatural. What was happening? Wha -

 

Down on his knees, head bowed, Changmin’s features blurred and morphed. Yunho gasped, acting on instinct by knocking the disguised liar to the floor. “Jaejoong! Bastard...why are you here? And where’s Chang - ?” Then he remembered.

 

“ _Mount_ _Seoraksan_.”

 

 

~**~

 

 

 

Yunho ran faster and harder than he’d ever run in his life. Jaejoong was following him, keeping a safe distance back.  “Why is he doing this? You’re the killer!” Yunho yelled behind him.

 

A quick stumble and Jaejoong was back to keeping up with him. “He blames himself!”

 

There must be a mistake. None of this was making any sense. But Yunho didn’t want to dawdle on conversation and instead focused on the trail. Sunrise was approximately in an hour’s time!

 

Upon reaching the Taebaek mountain range, Yunho climbed and hopped the ridges until he finally spotted the top of Mount Seoraksan. He spotted the back of a shadowed figure, standing on the highest mound and gazing off into the horizon.

 

“CHANGMIN!”

 

The tall vampire jolted. As Yunho drew closer, Changmin’s sapphires flickered with fear. “Stay back, Yunho! Why are you here? Go back home!”

 

Standing steadily on a lower mound, Yunho yelled up, “No! Come down and explain yourself! Jaejoong’s the killer, not you!”

 

Yunho sensed Jaejoong tense up beside him. Changmin stared down at him and pleaded, “Yunho, go. I need the last memory you have of me to be a nice one. I can’t have you hating me more!”

 

“I don’t hate you! I don’t think I ever did!” Yunho meant this genuinely. All he could think about now was saving Changmin and taking him back home, so along with Taemin they could be a family again.

 

With a mulishly helpless look, Changmin disagreed, “You will once you know that it was all my fault.”

 

Yunho didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t care anymore, not with Changmin’s life on the line. “I don’t care what your reasons are.”

 

“Oh really?” Changmin questioned mockingly then softened his tone, “Leave. Take Jaejoong with you…he’ll take care of you.”

 

“I don’t want that,” A lightening of fear struck him at the thought of never being held by Changmin again, never be kissed by him, never be teased by him.

 

“See, papa!” Taemin’s voice suddenly resonated. The empty space adjacent to Changmin shimmered and took the shape of his boy. Taemin grabbed Changmin’s arm and said anxiously, “Come home. I told you he cares. He doesn’t want to lose you either!”

 

Changmin touched Taemin’s hand then forced him to let go. “Go to your daddy. He needs you.”

 

A drop of blood spilled down Taemin’s cheek. “I need you both. And you need each other.”

 

Yunho couldn’t stand in one spot a second longer. He sprang up onto the highest mound. “Taemin, go to Jaejoong. He’ll take you home.”

 

Wiping away his tear, Taemin did as he was told. Yunho felt Jaejoong’s gaze on him but ignored it.

 

“Can we still be friends, Yun-dol?”

 

Yunho fixed his attention on the distant trees and houses, providing no response. He still needed time away from Jaejoong. It was too soon to try and pretend the haunting past wasn’t going to create a rift in their friendship.  

 

As the footsteps of the other two vampires scurried off and faded, Changmin shut his eyes and dropped to knees. “It’s my fault your wife and daughter were killed. You see, Jaejoong and I met after Yoochun abandoned him. I knew what Jaejoong was capable of if he wasn’t disciplined. He’d taken the life of young ones before. I watched him do it and did nothing. I didn’t care.”

 

Yunho turned his back on Changmin, listening to the story with dread.

 

“When I came upon the scene of Jaejoong drinking from your wife and your daughter, I remember being irked with Jaejoong for being so careless. But I did nothing. The couples at the park weren’t paying attention but I made sure that if they did, I’d distract them.”

 

Yunho began trembling. Changmin let out a laugh of self-loathing, “I should have kept a tighter rein on Jaejoong. He was overly emotional and hungry that day. But my long-termed decision to isolate myself and remain detached even from others of our kind was a hard habit to break. I cared for no one…that is, until I met you.”

 

 _“I love you_. _Please, don’t forget that,”_ Changmin had pleaded to him at the park. Yunho buried his face in his hands, willing himself to not forget that and to remember Changmin would never hurt him purposely. _No more resentment,_ he told himself, _you cannot live the rest of your existence this way. Miyoung and Subin are gone. Move on…you have a new family._

 

Changmin went on feebly, “I – I realized my role in contributing to your suffering when you showed me the scene in the park. I planned to dispose of myself and let you live happily with Jaejoong and Taemin…but then Jaejoong confessed and I…”

 

Unbeknownst to him, tears flowed through Yunho’s fingers as Changmin’s melodious voice drawled in his mind:

 

_“I do not exist to hurt you, Yunho. I care for you.”_

 

_“It’s not about pride, my Yunho. Pride isn’t important if you love.”_

 

_“I will take care of our boy. I will protect our little family.”_

 

_“You laughed. You smiled. But not for me. Never for me.”_

_“I love you.”_

 

_“You make me feel human.”_

 

_“I want this with you forever. Will you have me?”_

_“I must find this killer and let the sun turn him into ash.”_

 

Summoning up all his strength, Yunho faced Changmin. He soaked in his companion’s beauty: his high-cheekbones, his generous lips, and eyes as blue and deep as the ocean.

 

“I don’t want you to die,” Yunho whispered, gazing intently into Changmin’s eyes while cradling Changmin’s face in his hands. “I don’t want to go on the same way it was for the past 18 years. I want you. I want _us_ to try and be happy… _forever_.”

 

Changmin’s entire body sagged and tumbling forward, face pressed into Yunho’s chest. “I – I can _feel_ your love for me seep into my very core. I feel it!” Changmin faltered, “You can truly forgive me, Yunho? Because I would rather turn to ash than have you hate me every time you remember how I wronged you.”

 

Yunho threaded his fingers in Changmin’s thick hair. “No more hate. I – I just need you to be _you_ and show me how to live again. I know it won’t be easy…I’m still fighting through grief…“ Yunho waited for a piecing pain through his chest. But he was surprised to note it was just a dull ache, like a distant memory from dream, from another life entirely.

 

Tilting his head up, Changmin vowed, “On my honor as a vampire, I promise to be patient and help you through it!”

 

Yunho’s eyebrow arched. “ _Honor as a vampire_? Vampires have honor?”

 

“Animals have an even higher honor code than humans. They – “

 

“Spare me the lecture, Changmin.” Yunho stooped down, kissing Changmin hesitantly at first then with more gusto when his companion moaned for him headily.

 

Yunho broke off the kiss to chuckle lightly. “You have no pride when it comes to this, do you?”

 

“I have no pride when it comes to _you_ ,” Changmin corrected, bringing Yunho back down to nip on his lower lip. “Years of isolation and I finally find you, my true mate. You expect me to let my pride to get in the way?”

 

“I love you,” Yunho blurted out before his mind made the decision to say it. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Changmin’s pupils dilated as he rose up just enough to sink his teeth into Yunho’s neck.

 

Crying out, Yunho gripped Changmin harder. “Oh, mark me, yes…”

 

Yunho’s eyes rolled up, noting the sky’s lighter hue. Like a bullet shot to his head, Yunho shrieked, “The sun! Changmin, we need to find shelter!”

 

Startled, Changmin freed Yunho’s neck with a jerk and glanced up at the sky fearfully. “Damn it! We need to hurry; we only have a few minutes until the sun is fully over the horizon!”

 

Hand-in-hand, they ran. A few meters away from the base of Mount Seoraksan, beyond a bushel of trees, stood the gigantic statue of Buddha. Next to it was the temple, but Changmin didn’t suggest they hide in there, like Yunho anticipated. Instead he was led to a small cabin by the woods to the far right of the temple.

 

The sky was brightening more and more. Yunho’s skin was beginning to feel abnormally heated.

 

“Hurry!” Changmin shouted as he hauled Yunho with him.    

 

Once inside the cabin, Yunho supposed it was an abandoned dwelling. There was an old small statue of Buddha against the far center wall and scattered embroidered pillows on the floor. There were piles of books in the corners of the room. The sliding door was made of solid thin wood and there were no windows.

 

“Where are we?” Yunho asked, still holding his companion’s hand.

 

Changmin steered him towards one of the larger pillows in the center of the room. “Sit. This is my cabin. I had it built a long time ago.”

 

“Why is so bare? Don’t you want to furnish it?”

 

Sitting down heavily and lying back on his elbow, Changmin replied, “No, this way people stay away. The monks know I own it. And if anyone sneaks in here, it’s usually to pray privately. I don’t mind that…I leave those humans alone.”

 

Yunho scooted closer to Changmin. “Why bother constructing this place? Do you constantly find yourself running away from the sun around here?”

 

Softly laughing, Changmin nodded. “Why, yes, actually. I love coming up here. Mountain climbing makes me feel alive and human.” Throwing Yunho a wayward glance, Changmin added, “Much like how I feel when I’m inside you.”

 

The shiver that ran through Yunho was thrilling. He wanted…

 

A thought surfaced to the forefront of his mind. “Changmin, you said you were ready to distract people in the park. What is your power? I’ve opened up to you. It’s only fair you tell me.”

 

With a lopsided smile, Changmin said, “You are a curious kitten, aren’t you?”

 

Hearing ‘kitten’ again made Yunho throb, but he restrained himself from jumping on Changmin in order to grumpily say, “Yes, you insufferable creature. This kitten wants to feel and see your power. Then this kitten would like some attention.”

 

Changmin smirked in triumph. Mortified, Yunho hid half his face with his hand, immediately regretting the words that flew out of his mouth. It seemed his pride had taken a straight shot to hell along with his soul.

 

Remaining in his laid back position, Changmin’s smirk softened as he tenderly requested, “Look into my eyes. Focus only on me.”

 

Yunho had no choice but to uncover his flaming face and stare into those pools. A few seconds, from his peripheral vision, Yunho saw the room blur and transform.

 

“You can blink.” With a finger under Yunho’s chin, Changmin turned his head to the right. “Look around you.”

 

Yunho gasped.

 

The Buddha statue was gone. In place of it was a sunset so beautiful, Yunho’s heart sang with joy. Gone was the dingy room. A meadow of rich green grass and small maple trees in the distance surrounded them. They were sitting on a small hill and would probably appear like a casual couple to outsiders. Yunho touched the skin on his arms, sensing no sign of impending heat. 

 

Finally, Yunho looked back at Changmin, awestruck. “This is marvelous. You create illusions?”

 

Changmin was beaming, clearly pleased with Yunho’s reaction. “In a way, yes. The illusions come from my own memories. It took years to build my power, but now I can share sights and memories to distract my prey, enthrall them.” Changmin drew Yunho down to lay on the grass with him. “What you’re seeing now was my last sunset as a human.”

 

Yunho was so touched; the love for his mate constricted and expanded to an overwhelming proportion. He traced the contours of Changmin’s face as he spoke affectionately, “You knew how much I wanted to see the sun again. And you gave me this.”

 

“I can give you this whenever you want!” Changmin proclaimed intensely. “We can watch the sunset every evening.”

 

Yunho’s throat clogged, he tried not to project too much emotion but judging by the state of Changmin’s bestowed expression, Yunho was projecting it naturally. The words tumbled out more heartfelt and convincing this time, “I – I love you, Changmin. Please continue to be patient with me.”

 

Molding his front to Yunho’s side, Changmin said with deceiving innocence, “But I’m so _impatient_ now.”

 

Given the hard bulge pressing persistently into his hip, Yunho could see why. His erection filled and hardened, equally matching Changmin’s. He rolled onto his side and regarded his mate with narrowed eyes. “I did say this kitten would like some attention. You don’t _always_ have to be patient.”

 

Changmin grinded their clothed cocks together in response. “I’m afraid I’ve lost my patience with you when it comes to sex. Remember after you drank from me one time, I told you there were other ways we can enjoy each other?”

 

“Er, yes.”

 

“Well,” Changmin started unbuttoning Yunho’s shirt. “When we feed from each other, I demand we _suck_ on another place besides the neck. Let it be law!”

 

Yunho thought about the hot sex from last night and his cheeks warmed. “You do taste very good.”

 

As he stripped Yunho bare of his shirt and pants, Changmin tapped his own cheek twice and frowned. “I can’t seem to remember what you taste like…”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Yes! I’m sure kitten tastes sweet but I’ll have to try again to make sure.”

 

 _He thinks he’s so sly_ , Yunho mused, still getting oriented to their new playful relationship.

 

Nevertheless, Yunho lifted his hips into Changmin’s insistent hands, unable to resist the pleasure of how they fit around his waist. Both of them moaned, at the same time, their eyes met hungrily. 

 

Everything snapped at that moment. Changmin’s eyes crackled. The vision of the meadow dissolved around them. And they were both naked in two seconds flat.

 

Limb tangled, they rolled on the floor, taking turns nipping at each other’s mouths, necks, ears, shoulders, chests, and also taking the time to swipe their tongues over every bite in doting apology. For one frantic moment, Changmin had Yunho’s cock lodged down his throat. Yunho went wild, boxing Changmin’s head with his thighs, thrusting up into the wet crevice franticly.

 

Eventually, they gravitated towards a pillow where Yunho raised up on all fours and threw Changmin a glance over his shoulder. “I still need attention.”

 

Emitting a sound across between a groan and growl, Changmin squeezed and parted Yunho’s buttocks then penetrated it with short, gentle jabs.

 

Gasping, Yunho exclaimed, “No time to be patient!” And slammed his hips back into the hard, weeping cock.

 

Changmin howled and bore down on Yunho’s hips, ramming the same spot repeatedly. Yunho quivered underneath, raking his nails on the floor.

 

His vision was hazy from tides of pleasure and vibrations coursing through him. Changmin’s hand came around to pump Yunho’s cock. The precise coordination of each stroke with every pounding drive into his body had Yunho writhing and rumbling, “Chang – hrrrruuunnnnn – Min! Min! Min!”

 

The unforgivable pace of Changmin’s hips slapping against Yunho’s bottom drove the two of them to the brink of ecstasy.

 

Gasp after gasp escaped them until Yunho shot his red pearly essence into Changmin’s hand, steeping onto the floor under him. Changmin let go of Yunho’s cock with a satisfied groan and pushed deep into Yunho’s taut hole, filling it to the brim while crying out, “Oh aarrrrrh, ohhhhh, I – I love you…sexy kitten…”

 

Yunho pulled himself up to knees, Changmin holding him from behind. Twisting his head to the side, Yunho’s teeth clashed with Changmin’s in an eager kiss. When they parted, Changmin stared fixedly into his eyes and once again, the room around them morphed into the meadow. Yunho leaned back into his mate’s chest, Changmin enveloped him and rocked them both from side-side.

 

Changmin, molding to every curve of Yunho’s back, said, “I know we are innately evil creatures in your eyes. But never forget we seek food, shelter, companionship, sex, just as humans do. Don’t hate what you are, be proud of it and make yourself happy. Do I make you happy?”

 

Yunho nodded, reaching behind him to stroke the back of Changmin’s neck. “Yes. I couldn’t live forever without you.”

 

Changmin’s lips curled against Yunho’s cheek. “Then, I shall give you a life you’ve never dreamed of…and you – you shall make me _feel_ again. Let’s start making up for those 18 lost years.” 

 

The yellow-orange hue of the sun encompassed their bond and smiled at them with its radiating glow.

 

Winding his fingers in Changmin’s hair, Yunho breathed possessively, “ _Mine._ ”

 

 _I need the moon_ , Yunho concluded to himself as Changmin bit and kissed his fingertips.

 

The sun shall remain here, in this place, this memory, where it cannot hurt them and they could feel alive again.  

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last meadow scene was inspired by this promotional video for Missha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oTOs1WcdgY
> 
> Thank you to all my readers and I hope you enjoyed my first vampire tale. "Interview with a Vampire" was a huge inspiration for this story.


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